A Baby With a Tail
by DustyAttic
Summary: Lewis and Cleo are just married and excited to start a life together when a twist in the tail stops them in their tracks; Cleo is pregnant! Will the baby be a mermaid? And what will happen when old characters join the fun? Will the boys be okay? What is Kim hiding? So many questions! Read to find out the answer to all of them!
1. Chapter 1- PART ONE

**Hey everyone! This story is about Cleo and Lewis and their adventures together, especially when Cleo reveals some big news! It develops more as it goes on, adding more characters and plot lines. I hope you like it and please review! P.S, the first couple chapters are much shorter than the rest!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own H2O: Just Add Water**

Chapter 1- Lewis's POV

Pulling back my chair, I sit down across from my wife. God, she's beautiful. We've only been married for a couple of months now but it feels like much longer considering we've been best friends since we were five. But tonight she looks nervous, preoccupied.

It's been almost a year since I came back from my schooling in the states- I'll never forget the moment I walked into Rikki's cafe and caught Cleo's eye for the first time since I'd left. I'd led everyone to believe that I wouldn't be back for another week, so when Cleo saw me, it was the most magical second in the world.

It wasn't a week before I proposed to her, with the purl ring that my Dad had given my Mum. And then, bang, ten months later we were having a small ceremony on Mako. Rikki, Emma, and Bella were Cleo's bridesmaids and Kim was her maid of honor. Zane was my best man, an unusual twist of fate I'd never have believed at sixteen. Will and Ash were in the wedding as well, and my Mum and Sam spent the entire time crying together while our Dad's watched smiling. Now, after two months, Cleo and I have been living happily ever after.

But, like I said, she looks nervous right now. "What's wrong?" I ask gently.

"Lewis …" Cleo begins, not looking at me. This bothers me, as I love looking at her beautiful hazel eyes. "If a little kid came up to you on the street and said he couldn't find his Mum, how would you respond?"

Well, this was unusual. Just a weird question. "Of course I'd help him to find her," I explain.

Cleo smiles. "Good. You're going to make a great father one day."

I nod. I'm excited to have a family someday- not today, of course, we're still young, we still have so much to do …

"And that day is December 17th."

I look up at Cleo. What does that mean? Wait … what?

"That's my due date," she continues. "I'm pregnant."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2- Cleo's POV

I smile uncomfortably at Lewis, trying to hold back tears. My husband isn't responding the the news I just gave him very well. Actually, he's not responding at all. Just sitting there, looking at my face, to my stomach, back to my face. "You … you're …" he mumbles, not forming full sentences. This is a bad sign for Lewis.

I put one arm over my stomach and prompt him, "Lewis, say something."

"When did you find out?" is the first question that comes out of his mouth. I bite my lip.

"About a month ago."

Lewis looks even more distraught. He probably remembers the day he walked into our bedroom and found me in a puddle of tears. He'd asked what was wrong and I'd fled, refusing to talk to him.

"How … how far along are you?"

This is the worst news of all. We should have been more careful! "Three months."

This pushes Lewis over the edge. He stands up and slams his hands into the table and I jump. "Before we were married?" he exclaims. I nod, terrified.

"Lewis, please calm down. Talk to me," I beg, teary eyed.

But my husband turns away. I can see the muscles in his back bulging as he tries to stay level-headed. "I need … I need some time to think," he says angrily before storming out of our apartment.

I sit at the table, listening to the clock tick quietly and crying. _What if he never comes back?_ my mind screams. I need some company before I lose my head.

"Emma?" I say on the phone. "Rikki? Bella? Can you come over please?"

The three girls on the line respond affirmatively. "Is something wrong?" Rikki asks. I guess she can hear the panic in my voice.

"We need to talk," I say vaguely.

"Okay, we'll be right there. Will Lewis be around?" Emma wonders.

I can barely squeak out a "no" before hanging up and bursting into tears. The girls are over in no time, as we all live in the same building. Emma arrives first.

After getting back from her tour of the world, Em had come home to meet Bella and had taken to her quite nicely, if not a bit cold at first. But after Rikki and I assured her she was, in no way, being replaced, Emma and Bella had become good mates.

Anyway, now I was opening the door to let Em in, with the other two close behind her. "Cleo, what's the matter?" Bella exclaims upon seeing my tear-ridden face.

I usher them in and we all sit on my couch. I can barely hold back the words.

"I'm pregnant!" I exclaim.


	3. Chapter 3

I walk the streets of our small Australian city without knowing where I'm going. I just had to get out of the house before I said something I'd regret, and I'd thought the fresh air would calm me down. I was right. The nice, salty breeze and the sound of the wind through the palms has helped sooth my nerves a lot since I stepped foot out here. But my mind is still abuzz.

 _Cleo?_ I think. _Pregnant? Oh god, oh god, her Dad is gonna KILL me!_

After circling a few blocks, I realize I'm not getting anywhere. _I need to talk to somebody. I need to sort this out._

Before I know it, I end up at Will's house, one of my best mates. He and Bella, like Emma and Ash and Rikki and Zane, are still dating- only Cleo and I have taken the step of marriage.

"What's up?" Will asks me when I knock on his boat-house door.

"Can I come in?" I wonder. Will steps aside.

Sitting down at his desk, Will inquires, "So, what can I do for you?"

I sigh. "Cleo … Cleo just gave me some big news."

"What happened?" asks Will, immediately concerned. I shake my head and assure him that nothing is the matter. "Oh … well then why are you here?"

Taking a deep breath, I break the news: "Cleo's pregnant."

For a moment, Will looks shocked. "What?" he asks.

"She's going to have a baby."

The clock ticks. Will seems to be taking the news the same way I had.

"Will? You okay in there?" I finally say.

"Huh? Oh, yeah … Cleo? Pregnant? Geez, her Dad is gonna kill you," Will says. I chuckle.

"My thought exactly."

"So … what's wrong? Besides the surprise, I don't see much of a problem. You guys are actually lucky!" Will exclaims after a minute.

I take in his words. "But, no! Cleo and I are so young- we want to live our lives before having a baby. We want to travel and have adventures together!"  
"Yeah, but a baby is an adventure, mate. And you can travel with kids, right?"

I shake my head. "No, actually, you can't. Not really."

"Well then press pause on the traveling, I guess. But still, Lewis, this is great! How's Cleo faring?"

Will's question strikes me; I hadn't even asked Cleo is she was okay! "Oh, no! What an idiot!" I say angrily.

"What's wrong? You didn't react well to the news, I take it?" Will guesses. I nod. "Well then go to her!"

I stand up and shake Will's hand before I go, in a rush to comfort the love of my life. I haven't let her down so badly since the whole Charlotte episode.

"I just have one question," Will says in the door as I walk out. "Will the baby be a mermaid, too?"

I turn to him, open-mouthed. I hadn't even thought of that! And so, without another word, I begin to sprint home. I need to get to Cleo.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4- Cleo's POV

The three girls sit across from me, shocked. I bite my lip, tears still streaming down my face, waiting for one of them to say something. Finally Rikki leans back and laughs.

"Oh, I get it. You're kidding," she says.

I shake my head no and try to contain myself. Slowly Rikki's laughter fades. I can almost see the three girls having their own, private reactions.

Emma must think I'm an idiot. _What type of girl doesn't use protection?_ is the question most definitely running through her mind. Rikki probably thinks I'm pretty stupid, too, but more in a _she's screwed_ type of way. The only girl who I can't see through is Bella; she stands up, abruptly, and hugs me.

"Oh, Cleo! Are you okay? Are you sick … or … wait, where's Lewis?" she asks, looking around. This really sets me off.

"He … he … he left."

Emma shoots up. "Left? As in left left?"

"I don't know!" I exclaim, burying my head in Bella's lap. "He walked out after I told him … said he needed time to think… but what if he doesn't come back?"

"No way!" Rikki cuts me off. "Not gonna happen!"

I sniff and look at the almost white-haired girl as she kneels in front of me. "I know Lewis, Cleo, and if he said he needs time to think, he means it. He's a great guy, he'll come back," she explains, taking my hand. I give her a watery smile.

"Yeah," Bella chimes in, "Lewis will probably be really happy once he has a chance to get used to the idea."

I nod, finally starting to feel better, and glance at Emma. She's sitting across from us still and hasn't said a thing.

"Em?" I ask. "Say something, please."

Emma looks at me like I'd woken her and exclaims, "Oh! Oh, yeah, Cleo, don't worry about Lewis. He's very sensible, he'll be home any minute now- and you two are going to make great parents. I was just thinking … is the baby going to be a mermaid?"

Rikki and Bella blanche and look at each other but this question doesn't throw me; I've been wondering it for a while.

"I don't know … there's nothing on this, Em. I looked in all the books, but there's no record of a pregnant mermaid. I even tried to contact Miss Chatam, but she didn't get back to me. I think I should keep out of the water for a while, though. I'm three months along. Only … six to go," I finish with a sigh, wiping my face. A silence extends once more for a few seconds.

"So … now that we got that on the table, let's get to the fun part!" Rikki says suddenly. We all look at her.

"What fun part?" asks Bella.

"Well, first off, do you want a boy or girl. Then there's the whole naming process and such, and- ooh! Which room will be your nursery? I like little babies, they're cute!" Rikki explains.

"You hate kids!" argues Emma. It's true.

"Yeah, but babies are cool. Once they're three they're dead to me though. So, what do you want? Boy or girl?"

I hadn't considered this. What do I want?

"Well … a girl would be nice, but I've already had my share of little girls with Kimmy. Maybe a boy … I don't know, really," I say truthfully.

"And names?" Bella prompts.

"This I have thought about- Bernice for a girl and Wilbert for a boy."

All three girls wrinkle their noses. "What?" I ask innocently.

"Bernice? Wilbert? What year are we in, people?" Rikki says.

"Yeah, Cleo, they're a little bland," Emma agrees. I sigh, but I know they're right.

"Well I picked them out when I was little. Maybe you're right though … it's time to reconsider."

Just then, the front door begins to unlock. All this talk of gender and names had distracted me from the problem at hand: Lewis. I brace myself.

When my husband walks in, however, he swoops me into a big kiss.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5- Lewis's POV

My lips are still on Cleo's but I can feel that she's not responding to the kiss and so I pull away. "Hey," I say, tucking a whisp of hair behind her ear. "I'm so sorry, baby."

"Wha- but- Lewis!" Cleo exclaims, unable to find words. Emma, Rikki, and Bella are sitting on our couch, watching us.

"But nothing! I should never have left you like that … I can't believe I just walked out- I'm so stupid! Are you okay? Are you sick?" I say in a rush. Cleo is still looking at me wide-eyed.

"I'm- I'm fine, but- where did you go? What happened?" she asks.

"I went to Will's," as I say this I see Bella smile out of the corner of my eye, "and he talked some sense into me. God, I was so stupid Cleo, and I will never leave you like that again! I'm so, so sorry."

Rikki and the others have stood up by this point. "We're gonna go," Emma says as they head for the door, but I barely notice. I'm too busy searching my beautiful wife's face for any sign of grief or pain.

"You mean …" Cleo says slowly as the door shuts, "you mean you're happy about the baby now?"

I put my forehead on hers. "Yes," I say confidently. "More happy than you know. I _love_ you, and I will love this baby so much."

Cleo's face breaks into a huge grin. "I love you too," she says, before pushing her lips onto mine. I deepen the kiss slowly and lift her slightly off her feet. I'm not satisfied with a kiss, however, and so I pick her up and carry her to the bedroom. "Lewis," Cleo giggles, her arms around my neck.

I click the door shut behind us and put her on the bed. Cleo smiles and she reaches for my shirt to remove it. Soon all our clothes is in a pile on our bedroom floor and I'm on top of her, kissing her tender breasts and rubbing small circles on her clitoris. Cleo moans in pleasure, and gives me some pleasure as well. I kiss her stomach, imagining the tiny person- a person I helped to create- growing inside it.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6- Cleo's POV

When I wake up, I smile to see Lewis next to me in our bed. After the night before even such a small thing seems special. What if he had never come back to me? I can't even think about it.

Trying to be quiet, I slip out of bed and walk softly to the bathroom. I look in the mirror and sigh. My hazel eyes look tired and my dark brown hair is a mess. At least I don't have anything to do today. I wait by the toilet a while more, preparing for the inevitable, and then it finally comes. I throw up. This morning sickness has had me in its grasp for weeks- I can't wait for the second trimester when, they say, it will stop.

After a few minutes of vomiting I lean back on my heels and try to breath, my eyes blurry, my throat burning. Suddenly I feel small circles being rubbed on my back. "Lewis!" I cry, spinning around. My husband stands behind me, looking worried. "Why are you up?" I ask.

"I heard you being sick," he explains softly. "The question isn't why I'm up, it's why you didn't wake me."

I roll my eyes, smiling. "Lewis, this happens every morning. I can't come running to you everyday- you have work, you need your sleep."

"Every morning? Because … because of the baby?" he whispers. I giggle.

"Yes, because of the baby. You don't have to whisper, its not a secret. Go back to bed, I'm usually fine once I get it out of my system."

But instead of listening to me, Lewis reaches under my legs and scoops me up, newly-wed style. "Lewis!" I exclaim, holding his neck.

"I'm not going back to bed for a million dollars. You're the one having our baby- I'm making you breakfast," he says playfully, carrying me to our room.

"Honey, please don't go through all that for me. I probably won't even eat whatever you make for me … a lot of food makes me sick in the morning," I argue.

"Then what doesn't make you sick?" asks Lewis, placing me on our bed gently.

I think. "Bread … just nice bread."

"Then one loaf of bread coming up," says Lewis before backing out of the room. I smile and wait.

After a few minutes of searching around our cabinets, I hear Lewis grumbling. "Honey," he finally calls, "by 'good bread,' you didn't quite mean a loaf of Woolworth's whole-grain pre-sliced bread, did you?"

I laugh softly. "No, not quite," I call back.

Lewis mumbles some more and I hear him shut the cabinet. "Never fear," he says, "I'll just run to the store. Be back in a gif, love."

I listen as the front door of our apartment shuts. I stand up and look out the window. Our bedroom has a great view of the beach … and the parking lot. Soon I see Lewis hop into our Holden and speed away.

Walking around the room, I begin to make the bed and then go out to the kitchen and do the dishes. After all the household chores are done, I go back to the bathroom and begin to get ready for the day myself. I wash my face, brush my teeth, and brush my hair. Twisting it into a bun, I put in a clip Rikki, Bella, and Emma gave to me for my twentieth birthday. An orange-tailed mermaid sits on top of my hair. I quickly apply some makeup and then go to get dressed. Picking out a pretty orange top and a pair of jean shorts, I begin to pull them on. But … I can't button my pants. I suck in my stomach a little and try again, and this time the clasp closes, but as soon as I release my breath _ping!_ The button flies off. At first I'm mortified, but then I realize something. This must mean I'm showing.

Rushing to the mirror, I pull up my shirt and look at the tan, usually perfectly flat line of my stomach. There's no denying the faint curve growing there. I bite my lip and smile. It's proof that our baby is there.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7- Lewis's POV

It's been nearly a month since Cleo's let me feel her growing bump for the first time, and by now she has a noticable, at least four-inch curve. Today we're going to another doctor's appointment- pretty routine.

As I drive our car, I look over at Cleo, who is staring out the window. "Hey, hun," I say, poking her shoulder playfully. "What's on your mind?"

Turning to me, Cleo smiles. "Oh, nothing much. But Lewis, at our last appointment, the doctor said we would be able to find out the sex of the baby this time. And I never really told you about it because I wanted to figure out if I wanted to know. And … I do. But I won't go ahead with it if you don't want to."

I look at my beautiful wife sitting there, her hazel-green eyes pouring into my own. I can picture our baby girl with the same eyes, smiling at me from her crib. But, then again, I can also picture a little brown-haired boy crawling around the apartment. Do I want to know?

"Yeah," I finally respond. "Let's find out. It's practical, for one thing, and … I'd like to know."

Cleo grins and leans over in her seat, planting a kiss on my cheek. I figure there's a lipstick stain on me now, but I don't mind. As we pull into the doctor's, I think about finding out the gender of our baby. God, I don't know what I want. I park quickly and go to help Cleo out.

"Lewis," my wife snaps as I open her door and offer a hand, "I can do it myself. I'm not disabled."

Backing away, I silently smile. I've learned to take this kind of stuff by now; Cleo's mood swings are pretty mellow compared to some women anyway.

The two of us walk into the office, Cleo on my arm, nuzzling me. I smile again.

"Oh, hello Mr. and Mrs. McCartney," greets the receptionist, Liz. She's a nice old woman, and I return her greeting warmly.

After a few minutes of waiting, Dr. Francesca comes out and says hello to us. "Lewis, Cleo, how nice to see you. Please, come in," she says.

I help Cleo up- no complaints this time- and we follow the doctor down the hallway. As I sit down in her office, I look around. A lot of baby ultrasounds are on display in frames. I hope, maybe, ours is one of them one day. "So," Dr. F says, sitting across from us, "how have you been, Cleo?"

We go through the motions of any visit, both Cleo and myself anxious to know the baby's sex. Finally, the time comes for the ultrasound.

This isn't the first one of these we've gotten. When Dr. F first applied the gel to Cleo's stomach, she panicked. _Wet,_ she mouthed to me, and I quickly exclaimed, "Oi, what was that?!"

"What?" Dr. F had asked.

"That crash," I lied, "it came from out here." With that, I nearly shoved her out of the room. Cleo silently counted to ten, but no tail. I apologized to Dr. F and thanked God that the gel was mermaid-proof.

Anyway, now Cleo is covered in the stuff again, and soon enough the picture appears on the screen. Every time I see one of these it takes my breath away. Our baby.

"Would you like to know the gender of the baby?" Dr. F asks warmly. Cleo and I make eye contact and nod.

Smiling, Dr. F says, "Congratulations. You're having a girl."


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi guys! I'm so sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I was a little down about the number of reviews I've been getting. Please review my story some more, guys! Anyway, I'm also holding a contest I was inspired to do by two of my lovely reviewers: a baby-naming contest! I need you to give me your best suggestion for a girl's name for Lewis and Cleo- ocean theme would be cool. I'm going to pick my top ten and work them into the story as suggestions from Cleo, Rikki, Emma, Bella, Will, Lewis, Zane, Ash, Kim, and Don/Sam. The winner will be announced when the baby is born! P.S, I already have one picked from the reviews so far.**

 **THANK YOU! -DA**

Chapter 8- Cleo's POV

I nearly fall out of my chair. A girl! I didn't think I'd care, but now I can't even think about having a boy because the idea of our little daughter seems too perfect!

I can tell Lewis is having a similar reaction, and Dr. F smiles and says, "I'll give you two a moment alone," before leaving the room. I look at my husband.

"A girl!" Lewis exclaims. "A perfect baby girl!"

He stands and so do I. Hugging each other tightly, Lewis and I are ecstatic. The short remainder of the visit flies by and soon we're at home.

"Cleo," Lewis says as we walk in, "you know, now that we know the baby's a girl, there's a higher chance she's a mermaid."

I nod. I've been thinking about this myself. "Well, we won't know until she's here. I'll have to give birth at home with you so I won't get wet."

Lewis blanches. "I didn't think of that!" he shouts, and I gasp. I small thud just landed inside my stomach.

Grabbing a chair, I sit. "Honey!" says Lewis worriedly. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," I pant, smiling as the thump comes again. "The baby is kicking!"

My husband goes white again. Slowly, he puts one hand on my stomach. I wait for another kick and giggle when it comes. "Did you feel that?"

Lewis frowns and shakes his head. I shrug. "Well, it says that only I'll be able the feel them for a while anyway in the book. Don't worry, you'll have your turn."

"Alright," Lewis says, leaning in for a kiss.

"I'm going to invite the girls over to tell them the news," I explain as my husband leaves the room. He nods.

Soon, Bella, Emma, and Rikki are on my couch. "Okay, spill it. What's up?" Rikki says after a minute.

I grin. "I went to the doctor's today … and we're having a girl!"

The three girls gasp. "OH! That's so great Cleo!" Bella screams, hugging me. Rikki nods and smiles widely, and Emma says, "What about Mearyha? For her name?"

I nod. I like the sound of it. "Oh, Cleo, I'm so happy for you!" Em says, and then they all squash me in a group hug.

Rikki steps back. "Well I don't know about you, but I feel like a swim!"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9- Lewis's POV

Cleo's about six months along- which means she has mood swings, cravings, and a huge stomach to match her attitude. I don't mind, though. I'm lucky we're even having this wonderful baby.

Who, by the way, we have yet to name.

Tonight, Don, Sam, and Kim are over for dinner. Kim, who is eighteen now, is leaving for college soon. She actually mellowed out quite a bit after her early teens, and now she's a pleasant young woman to be around.

"So," Don begins as we sit at our kitchen table, "Sam and I brought a little something as a early baby-shower present …"

Cleo lights up. She loves anything present-related.

I'm happy, too, mostly because that means Don has accepted the fact that we're having this baby- he didn't react very well when we told him originally.

Sam reaches down into her purse and pulls out a long, rectangular box. "Here," she says, handing it to Cleo, who slowly unwraps it. Kim watches attentively, probably also curious to see what's inside.

After all the tissue paper is removed, a small, pale pink rattle is revealed. It seems delicate and well-made, not a cheap plastic one, and has tiny stars painted all over it. "Oh, Daddy!" Cleo exclaims.

"My mother used that rattle, and my sister, too," Don explains, looking a little pained at the mention of his sister, Kathy. She had passed away as a little girl- hit by a drunk driver- and I know she would be in possession of the rattle if she'd lived. "You used it after that, sweetheart," Don continues, "and Kimmy after you."

Cleo slowly gets up and walks around the table to give Don a hug. "Oh, Dad. Thank you so much!" I see her deny a call from Emma behind Don's back.

Kim has been silently watching this whole episode, smiling. I let myself watch her for a minute.

With her wide blue eyes and blonde hair, Kim is easily one of the prettiest girls I know. I've often wondered why she's never been with anyone. I actually have a suspicion, but … I have no idea whether or not I'm right, so I mostly leave it alone.

After Cleo stops hugging Don, she turns to Sam and embraces her. "And thank you, too."

"Cleo, I've been thinking. What about the name Chelsea for the baby? It means sea port, and maybe she'll give me good luck with the fish!" Don suggests. I like it.

We wrap up dinner and soon the three of them are leaving our house. After we're alone, Cleo grins and me and takes my hand, pulling me to our bedroom. Another thing that's increased since she hit the six month mark is our nighttime activity, and I certainly can't complain about that!


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry that these last two chapters were so short, I was going to make them one but I had to change POVs so it worked better this way. Will you like the twist with Kim? What about the new name suggestion? Only 8 left to go!**

 **Please REVIEW!**

 **DA**

Chapter 10- Cleo's POV

I smile to myself while driving to Dad's house. After yesterday night, Sam accidently took home my wallet and left hers, so I'm delivering it back now. I don't mind, though- I like seeing my family.

Pulling into the old driveway, I turn off the car and open the door. Lewis isn't with me- although he almost blew a fuse when I told him I was going alone- because he has work today. I notice there are no other cars around and realize my dad and Sam must be out. That's alright.

"Hello?" I call as I open the front door. Nothing. I conclude that nobody's home and begin to search for my wallet. _Oh, I hope Sam didn't take it out with her …_

Suddenly I hear a noise from upstairs. Is somebody there? I begin to climb the staircase, tense, worried that there's been a break-in. Then again, maybe there's an open window and the breeze just tipped something over.

I walk along the hallway and continue to listen- there! Once again I can hear something, definitely from Kimmy's room. I hope its just her, listening to music or something, because the noises are definitely human.

"Kim?" I whisper, knowing that if it is her she can't hear me. But I don't want robbers to hear me either.

Finally I'm at the door. Cracking it open, I slowly peek inside. I can't see anything, but the noises are louder now. Soft groans and mumbles. My heart pounds in my ears.

I push the door open a little wider and wider, until eventually I can see the bed. I sigh in relief as Kim's back becomes visible and throw the door open the rest of the way.

I gasp.

Kim spins around, her short blonde hair flying and her eyes scared. Her "best friend" Casey, who I've known for years, sits behind her. Both girls are shirtless and flushed. When I opened the door, they'd been locked in a passionate kiss.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11- Lewis's POV

I stare at myself in the mirror. Will the baby have my hair? My eyes?

I've been trying to think of names for her, and I know Cleo would love an ocean-themed one, but another idea has been nagging me. Umbra- it means shadow.

Its not that I hope our baby will be a shadow in this world- the opposite is true- but the name is beautiful and whenever I hear it I think of Cleo's graceful shadow gliding across the sea floor, the blue pattern of the water sparkling. I'll suggest it to Cleo later.

I quickly button the rest of my shirt and begin to grab my suitcase to go to work. Cleo is at Don's house picking up her wallet. Suddenly the phone begins to ring.

"Hello? Oh, hey Ash. No, Emma's not here. Why?"

Ash sounds a little concerned through the phone. I hope everything is okay.

"I don't know where she might be," he says. "We were at my place last night, in the middle of some … bedroom activities … when she got a call from Rikki. She picked up and just sounded really stressed, and then said she had go. I watched her try to call Cleo but she didn't pick up and then she called Bella. I haven't seen her since."

Hmm. That's strange. I remember seeing Cleo deny Emma's call yesterday- what could it have been about?

"I don't know, Ash. I'll take the boat out to Mako later and check there. Have you called her?"

"Yeah but it went straight to voicemail."

That's a good sign that they're on the island.

"Alright, mate. I'll call you if I hear anything," I say before hanging up.

I can't help but wonder if something is wrong- it nags me the whole ride to work. By the time I get there, I'm so worried that I just sit in my car, deciding whether or not to go in. Finally I turn on my bluetooth and leave my boss a message.

"Hey Sam, its Lewis. I've been thinking a lot about Mako lately, and I just did some research that suggests that there will be a specific anomaly going on there today that I just can't miss. I'm so sorry and I'll be back tomorrow. Thanks."

After returning from the states, Sam gave me a job at her institute; a spot opened up once she fired Ryan. I'm trying to find a better-paying position before the baby is born.

Anyway, by now I'm flying across the water, on my way to Mako. Geez, I hope the girls are alright. Good thing Cleo's not with them. I decide to call Zane before I lose service.

"Hey Zane, have you heard from Rikki?" I ask breathlessly.

"Why do you care?" he sneers. I can hear the defensiveness though.

"Because she was really bent out of shape yesterday and she, Emma, and Bella are missing."

This gives him a pause. "No, I haven't. She's been really good lately, but yesterday … she freaked out about something and left. I … seen her … hopefully …"

He's breaking up. After a second, dead air rings through the phone. I'm at the beach.

Turning off the motor, I sprint towards the moonpool entrance, flushed. What if something _is_ wrong and I haven't just been psyching myself out?

"Emma?" I call as I get close. "Rikki? Bella?"

Finally I slide through the entrance and run to the pool. When I get there, I'm immediately relieved to see the three girls standing together in one of the corners. But then somebody says something from behind me.

"Hi, Lewis. Been a while."

I slowly turn.

Charlotte.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12- Cleo's POV

I stare, open-mouthed, at the two girls in front of me. Kim looks terrified and her eyes are welling up with tears as Casey sits behind her, dark hair falling around her tan face. The girl has pretty brown eyes and dark freckles that are scattered across her cheeks. Casey is Puerto Rican, a rarity here in Australia, and she is more than a little heavy but her weight sits in all the right places. I've often seen Kim studying the other girl's curves, blaming it on jealousy rather than … this.

"What … Kim, you …" I stutter, not knowing what to say. Casey pulls her shirt back over her head and whispers something about needing to go before slipping out of the room. Kim hasn't moved.

Slowly, I walk to her bed. My little sister's cheeks are as red as tomatoes and I can't help but feel bad for her as I see a few tears spill onto them. "Oh, Kimmy," I say gently, pushing back some of her hair. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Breaking our eye contact, Kim looks around and opens her mouth before closing it again, as if trying to figure out something to say. Before any words come out, though, her face crumbles and she begins to cry, hiding her head in her hands and drawing up her knees. I stare at her, unable to do anything for fear, as if she's a foreign object.

 _Get a hold of yourself,_ I think. _She needs you right now- stop acting like she's an alien and comfort your baby sister._

Shaking my head, I put one hand on her back and scoot closer, holding Kim next to me as I try to get her to stop crying. I can't give her a full hug, though; my six-months-along baby bump is forbidding it.

"Kimmy, it's okay. You're okay," I say softly as she cries. Finally I hear the girl hiccup to a stop.

"I … I wanted to tell you," she whispers, voice trembling, "and I was gonna a little while ago. But then, with the baby, I didn't think it was the right time …"

I sigh. I have been pretty preoccupied lately. "But Kim, even after this baby is born, you can always talk to me. You're my little sister. I'll always be there for you."

She nods, still not looking at me. I wonder what else I've missed from my sister recently. I didn't even notice her haircut until a few weeks ago.

"How … how long have you known?" I ask tentatively.

Kim stiffens, but then says softly, "A long time. I used to think … I used to think I just idolized some girls. Or was really close friends with them or something … but then I met Casey at the beginning of high school, and I wanted us just to be friends but the more time we spent together the harder it was to deny that I … I loved her. And then, one day, we were playing truth or dare and …" at this point Kim dissolves, again, into tears. I rub her back and wait for her to continue.

Finally, after a deep breath, Kim keeps going. "And she asked me who I liked. It was just the two of us, and so I took a chance and told her. 'But I don't want this to change things between us,' I said. But then Casey leaned closer and responded, 'I do,' and then she kissed me. And then we just … I don't know."

I stare at Kim. Her story is so … I don't know. But it makes me want to cry from happiness. I jump a little when I feel the baby kick.

"What?" Kim asks, looking up at me finally.

"Oh, nothing. Just the baby is kicking," I explain. Kim looks scared. "Want to feel it?"

Slowly, Kim puts her hands over my stomach. I figure she's worried about hurting the baby, but I smile at her.

"Hey. Kimmy, you're okay. Okay?" I ask after a minute.

She stares at me.

"Okay."


	13. Chapter 13

**Hi guys!**

 **So even though I have gotten a few more reviews lately, I'm still pretty disappointed with my numbers. I've decided to only update after getting five reviews on a chapter, so if you want me to continue PLEASE WRITE!**

 **Name suggestions still in play!**

 **DA**

Chapter 12- Lewis's POV

" _Hi, Lewis. Been a while."_

 _I slowly turn._

 _Charlotte._

My mouth goes dry. There she is, _there she is,_ Charlotte. The girl who tried to kill Cleo, Emma, and Rikki, the girl who was so in love with me it was sick, the girl who almost stopped me from ending up with my wife. She's just _standing_ there.

And yet she's different. I can see all the physical changes in her, but there is something else, too, something almost eerie. Then it hits me.

Charlotte, once a sturdy redhead with skin like paper and hair staight as a pin, has dyed her hair brown. Her whole body has a deep, almost fake-looking tan and she's lost weight. Could this have been on purpose? It's been years, but if she really is as … _crazy_ as I remember, it could have been intentional.

Charlotte has changed herself … to look like Cleo.

"Lewis?" she says again. I realize I've been staring, which she probably took as a compliment, not a gut reaction from fear.

I close my mouth and stutter, "W- what are you doing here?"

Fake pouting, Charlotte responds casually. "I was in the area. Thought I'd stop by and check on my favorite mermaids."

"Yeah, well now you've checked. What else do you want?" Rikki says from behind me, stepping out of the shadows.

Charlotte frowns. There's silence.

"I always liked you least of all, Rikki. What a bitch you were when we were teenagers. I thought you might grow out of it. Oh well."

Emma comes up on the other side of me. I feel more protected surrounded by them.

"You didn't answer the question, Charlotte," says Em, calm as always, but I can almost detect fear in her voice. "What the _hell_ do you want?!"

"What's been going on here?" I whisper to Rikki. She rolls her eyes and pulls me into a corner.

"I was just hanging around here last night," Rikki begins, "when all of the sudden I heard somebody come in the other way. I thought it was one of the girls or you or something, but then _she_ walked in. At first I didn't even recognize her, but then she said, 'Oh, Rikki, you don't even remember your old friend?' and I was like oh crap. And so I kept asking why she was here and she just kept telling me to 'wait and see,' until I left and called Emma and Bella. And Cleo, but she didn't answer. We stayed at Em's together last night and came back this morning and she was still in the _exact same spot_ I left her in. That's about when you showed up."

I slowly take in Rikki's story. Why would Charlotte _possibly_ come back?

"Lewis!" I hear from behind me. It's her.

Bella has now joined Emma in talking to Charlotte- I assume she's been updated about her. I walk back to them.

"Yes?"

"I've been waiting for you and Cleo to come for me to show you this, but since she seems intent on missing the fun I thought I'd go ahead and let the cat out of the bag," she says with a sick smile. I brace myself for whatever is coming.

Instead of leaping into the moonpool, as I've been anticipating, Charlotte walks to the cave entrance instead. She … leaves.

But just before she's really gone I hear a quiet, "I'll be right back."

The girls and I wait in silence until we hear her shuffling footsteps return. They seem to be accompanied by another pair, but Charlotte comes back in alone.

"You know, I always knew this couldn't be the only moonpool," she says casually, drawing out some secret. "I _knew_ there had to be other places I could get my tail back. And once I figured that out, I realized you girls," here she gestures to Rikki and Emma, "would be the ones who knew about them. So I came back- different, as you can see- and I watched you. And suddenly Emma was gone and _poof!_ A replacement flew in."

All three girls cringe.

"And this new girl is so pretty and so nice and so _perfect_ that I can't help but wonder whether or not she's got a fishy little secret. How to find out? Hmmm, tough questions, with even worse solutions, until a little miracle happened. I found somebody who hated you almost as much as I did. Sophie, you see, was more than happy to befriend a regular costumer to _her_ cafe, more than happy to rant and rave about Bella this and Bella that. I have to admit, Bella, I was a little miffed at how quickly they took you in when they wouldn't even look at me. But one day Sophie mentioned the very _long_ period of time Bella spent in Ireland, and a little bit of research later I was on the next plane. Poor Sophie. I wonder if she even missed me."

Charlotte looks over all of us. My heart pounds.

"And so I found me a moonpool … it took a while, sure, but I found it. Oh, Emma, don't look so worried- it didn't work. Watch."

With this, Charlotte walks over to the pool and dips her hand in. Nothing changes.

"I guess the 'never getting my powers back' thing _was_ final. But you know what they say, 'with every moonpool, there's a mermaid.' And so it was only a matter of time before I came across Angi."

Charlotte walks to the door and gestures. Somebody walks in.

Standing in front of us is a beautiful Indian girl with thick curly hair and light brown eyes. Her skin is a caramel swirl and she looks terrified.

"Angi is the quiet kind, if you couldn't tell. She was living with a family friend at the time I found her, but we quickly became friends and by the time I found out her secret I knew almost everything else about her, including where to find her family and how to make her cooperate and the fact that she can turn water into plasma. So I decided I would 'take her on a trip,' and together, we could get my revenge."


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey guys!**

 **So I've been thinking a lot lately, and I don't think I'm going to have Cleo chose a baby name. My reason is that if she chose one, I feel like it would just be the winner. But anyway, the new suggestion-makers are Emma, Rikki, Bella, Ash, Zane, Will, Lewis, Kim, Don AND Sam (separate suggestions.)**

 **DA**

Chapter 14- Cleo's POV

As I drive home from my visit with Kim, I feel a little upset that the only real thing I'm mulling over in my head is her name suggestion. I mean, shouldn't I be reeling from my discovery? But then again, should I? I'd be just as shocked if I found out she had a boyfriend … I think.

Anyway, just before I left, Kimmy had looked at my stomach. "Isla," she said softly. Eye-la. beautiful.

I hum along to the Lana song blasting in my car, enjoying the baby's kicks as they match the beat. Lewis doesn't like her, says she's too American, but who cares?

Just then my phone rings. "Hello?"

"Hey, Cleo, it's Rikki. We're just coming from Mako and long story, short, Charlotte's back. You need to get home ASAP, see you soon."

Wait … what?

"... Rikki?" I ask into the phone, voice trembling. The line is dead. "RIKKI?"

After a minute, I put the phone down and pull over. What did Rikki just say? Charlotte's not … back. She can't just be back.

A sharp kick from the baby snaps me out of the haze and I blink a few times. Okay. Okay. Got to get home.  
***

About twenty minutes later, I pull into the apartment driveway. Rushing to the entrance, I quickly go up the elevator and fumble around in my purse for the key. As soon as I open the door I see that Rikki, Bella, Emma and all the boys are sitting around our coffee table.

"What's going on?" I ask, breathless. "Charlotte?"

Emma stands up and takes my arm. "Cleo, calm down. It's okay."

I can feel myself getting worked up as tears well in my eyes. "No, Em, I won't calm down! Charlotte's back!"

Bella looks worried, but Rikki just looks mad. Zane whispers something in her ear and kisses her hair.

Once we girls got back from college, Will and Ash had been waiting to throw a party for us, excited to see their girlfriends again. Lewis wasn't there but Zane was, an awkward addition they'd invited out of sympathy. The party, however, changed things.

Rikki hadn't seen anyone in school. She had never really gotten past Zane, and that evening, when he had been leaving, Rikki followed him out. I never knew what happened, but they've been together ever since. Zane was a good guy. I liked the name he suggested for the baby, Bay.

Anyway, in a few minutes the gang fills me in on everything that happened on Mako.

"After she told us she was going to get revenge, she said, 'Oh, Lewis, don't look so worried. Not right now, of course. It's too obvious. I just thought I'd let you know of my arrival,'" Lewis explains. "And then she told the girl, Angi, to get in the water. Her tail was blue, Cleo. But once she was a mermaid, Charlotte told her to 'do it,' and then everything went black and they were gone."

I slowly take this in, but then Bella speaks up. "Cleo, she also said one other thing. It was just before they disappeared." I see Rikki shake her head, as if Bella shouldn't tell me. What the hell could it be?

"She said," Bella continues, "to tell you congratulations."

I lift my head and stare at her.

Charlotte knows about my baby.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15- RIKKI'S POV

I layed in bed, my back to Zane, wide awake. I usually slept fine, but with tonight I'd woken up again and again from nightmares. Charlotte terrorizing us when we were fifteen, Charlotte attacking us now, stealing Cleo's baby, murdering it …

I shake my head to clear these ugly thoughts, and as I do I feel Zane roll over. Crap, did I wake him up?

Next thing I know, Zane puts his heavy arm over my shoulder and kisses the back of my head. "Hey," he whispers sleepily, "what's wrong?" He must be able to feel the tension in my body.

"Nothing," I say, turning over so our faces are only inches apart. Zane smells good. "I'm just worried about the whole Charlotte thing."

Brushing back my hair, Zane snuggles up closer to me. "It's all gonna be alright, okay?" he yawns. I can tell he's barely awake, so I stop talking and close my eyes against him.

" _Oh, Rikki," Charlotte says, her brown eyes glinting, "you can't do anything to stop me." She lets go. The baby falls, screaming, into the ocean._

I fly up in bed, sweating and terrified. _Jesus Christ,_ I think, _oh god. It was a dream._

"Hey, hun, you awake?" I hear from the other room. It's still strange, living with Zane. A little while after we'd gotten back together, only about six months ago, he'd offered to get a flat for us to live in. We've been here only for three weeks. A good three weeks, mind you.

"Yeah," I call back, "I'm awake."

I hear pots and pans shuffling and then Zane's footsteps as he walks into the room, showered and dressed. I check the clock. "Oi," I say, "It's ten in the morning! Why didn't you wake me?"

Zane shrugs. "You seemed tired. I wanted to let you sleep."

I notice that he's carrying a tray full of food. He sets it down on my lap and jumps in bed beside me. "Ta-da! Breakfast-in-bed for my wonderful girl."

I look down at the food; waffles with syrup, strawberries, and eggs fill the plate.

"Thanks," I respond, a little bit confused, "but what's the occasion?"

"Can't I make the love of my life breakfast just because?" Zane asks coyly, smirking at me. I smile at him, suspicious.

"Well, thank you. It's very sweet."  
Zane grins and gets up, leaving me to wonder what in the world is going on.

"It's beautiful," I say, leaning my head against Zane's shoulder. We're standing on one of the scenic cliffs over the ocean. Having just completed a picnic, it's been a very romantic day.

"Glad you like it," he responds. I smile.

"The reason I'm glad is because I want you to remember this place," continues Zane. He pulls away and I look at him. Reaching in his pocket and taking out a little box. Getting down on one knee. My heart begins to pound.

"I want you to remember it as the place where you became engaged." Zane is kneeling, holding a perfect diamond ring in his hands. I feel sick.

"Rikki, my love, will you marry me?"

I am frozen.

 _Marry_ him?!

"Wha- Zane … no!"

The words are out before I can stop them. It's like I flipped a switch; Zane goes from ecstatic to crestfallen.

"Wait, no! It's not that I don't love you, I just … I don't want to be married! We're still so young, we still have so much to do! I just …" I stutter. Zane stands up slowly, not saying anything. He closes to box and puts the ring back in his pocket. "Baby, please, I just … I just, I'm not ready."

There is silence other than the crashing waves. Until a voice speaks up, and it isn't Zane's.

"Oh, Rikki," says Charlotte. Where the hell did she come from? I feel even sicker. "I'm glad you feel that way. Because you won't be seeing Zane for a long time."

And then it seems like a million bolts of electricity washed over me and there's darkness.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16- Lewis's POV

"Lewis, stop!" Cleo giggles, trying to avoid my tickling fingers. At seven months pregnant, however, she is pretty easy to catch.

"Our daughter is going to have to deal with the tickle monster, Cleo, I'm just trying to get her ready!" I "explain" sarcastically, grabbing my wife's sides and making her squeal with laughter.

Underneath all this fun, however, I'm still worried about _everything._ I've been trying to keep Cleo's mind off Charlotte, but that doesn't stop me from obsessing over her myself.

"Lewis!" Cleo laughs as my hand begins to drift lower. I smile and kiss her neck.

Suddenly the door slams open. I pull my hands away from Cleo and we both turn to see Rikki, her face as white as a sheet. Her hair is on ends and she seems unable to speak.

"Rikki!" Cleo shouts, running over to the girl. "What's the matter? What's happened?"

Just as Cleo gets to her, however, Rikki's eyes flutter closed and she collapses.

Only one word is tangible as she loses consciousness.

"Zane."

Bella, Will, Ash and Emma stand crowded in our apartment. All of them, plus Cleo and myself, are standing over the couch, where Rikki is lying, still passed out.

"Oh, please, Rikki. Please wake up," Cleo cries, shaking her friend. The blonde doesn't move.

"So she really didn't say anything but 'Zane' before she collapsed?" Emma asks. I shake my head.

Bella is crying and Will is just staring at the unconscientious mermaid. Pacing, Ash seems pretty worked up. Emma is the only calm one, but I would guess she's terrified underneath.

"I checked her out," I say, "and it seems like she's been electrocuted. Really high voltage. If I had to guess I'd say … plasma. I'm pretty sure she's also drugged."

Everyone looks at me.

"Plasma?" Bella finally asks. "Like that other mermaid can make?"

I nod.

Cleo, pulling her lips tight, stands up. "So Charlotte did this?" she asks. "Is that what you're saying?"

I can barely respond. "Yeah."

"I want to kill her Lewis," Cleo says. It's so fast I almost don't catch it. And then I don't believe; Cleo? Wishing _death_ on somebody?

"I WANT HER DEAD! OUT OF OUR LIVES!" she screams. We all stare at her, before she falls onto me and begins sobbing.

I hear somebody cough. I ignore it, but as the choking continues, I look down. We all gasp. It's Rikki.

Cleo turns and falls to her knees, shaking her friend. "Rikki, Rikki, are you awake?"

The blonde slowly blinks open her eyes, taking in her surroundings.

"How … how did I get here?"

Cleo begins to cry too hard to speak. "You showed up an hour ago and then collapsed. We're pretty sure Charlotte did this. What do you remember?"

Rikki looks around, holding her head. "I … I don't remember anything. What do you mean, 'Charlotte did this?' Did what? And why does my head hurt so much?"

Bella gasps and leans on Will.

"You … you don't remember anything?"

Rikki slowly shakes her head. "I … I went to bed last night with Zane, and then … I woke up here."

Emma puts her hand on Rikki's shoulder. "When you showed up, you said something about Zane."

Rikki looks back and forth between all of us. "I … I don't know. I mean … what happened?"

I stare at her. "Plasma. Charlotte made that other mermaid, Angi, electrocute you. Was Zane there? Where is he now? Ash checked your place, he's not home. Please, Rikki, you've got to try and remember."

"Well I don't! Okay? I don't remember!" shouts Rikki. I can tell she's beginning to panic. "Can I just get some water?"

Bella nods and helps her up as I watch, trying to come up with some sort of explanation. I look at the two girls as they walk into my kitchen and then notice something.

"Hey!" I shout, grabbing the seat of Rikki's pants. She screams and pushes me off her, along with a chorus of "Lewis!"es from our friends. "No, look! There's a note!"

Rikki pulls out a piece of yellow lined paper from her pocket. She stares at it for a second before shaking her hand and handing it to me.

"What does it say?" asks Will. I slowly unfold the letter and begin to read it aloud:

"Dear Rikki, Bella, Emma, and Cleo.

I see you've made it back, Rikki. Which isn't surprising, since I drove you almost the whole way there. Anyway, I took one of your little "group" today- the least likeable, or course. Never start with dessert. Zane, Angi, and I are going to have a wonderful time together until you pay to get him back, ladies.

Oh, no no, I don't want your _money._ I want something else.

You actually have two choices. Aren't I compilable?

I recently discovered something fantastic- did you know that the moonpool in Ireland, where I found Angi, was actually created five years after all the others? And for some crazy reason, it's astrological clock is five years behind, which naturally affects all the moonpools as they're all connected. And so, in a couple of months, a very special anomaly is going to take place on Mako.

So option one; in two months, you will come with me to Mako and you will jump into that water and, like me, you will lose your powers. Forever.

I wonder what it will be like for you, after all these years? Will the boys still like you? At the moment they all seem smitten, but is that because of you or your tail? By the way, Zane is heartbroken that you turned him down, Rikki. What a shame.

What am I forgetting?

Ah yes, option two. Of course.

Your second choice is this, girls.

Give me the baby.

Yours,

Charlotte.


	17. Chapter 17

**Surprise! Two chapters in one day!**

 **I was just flowing and I said "Hey, why not?"**

 **Anyway, I'd like to give a big thanks to a big fan of mine, Belledolns, who's reviewed, criticized, and praised my work enough to show me she really cares *tear tear*.**

 **I'd also like to take a suggestion of hers into consideration. As Belledolns, and a lot of you, have pointed out, my chapters are pretty short. The way I see it is I can either update frequently with shorter chapters or less frequently with longer ones. If you have an opinion, please write either "Keep it short" or "Make it long" in your reviews. First side to 10 wins!**

 **Hope you enjoy this update!**

 **DA**

Chapter 17- Cleo's POV

I jolt awake, clutching my blanket and looking around wildly. What woke me? Is Charlotte here?

Just then, however, I feel another sharp baby kick and sigh, relived. That's obviously why I'm up. I slowly move my feet to the ground.

Lewis shifts in his sleep and I hear him mumble something. Then his eyes flutter open. "Hey. You okay?"

I smile and nod, whispering, "I just have to go pee."

Lewis quickly falls back asleep and I pad to the bathroom, using my phone as a flashlight.

Once I'm finished relieving myself, I wash my hands and stare into the mirror. Rikki is still sleeping on our couch- she's too freaked out to go home, even though it's been two weeks. She and I, along with Bella and Emma, actually had nice conversation before we'd all gone to bed.

 _"So have you decided what you're going to name the baby yet, Cleo?" Bella asked. I shook my head and put a protective arm over my baby bump._

 _"I still vote Marilla," Rikki chimed in, bringing up the name she'd suggested ages ago._

 _"What about Raina? That's what I'd pick, anyway. Will likes Brooklyn." Bella said._

 _"That's pretty," I responded._

 _"Ash likes Elena," said Emma. I smiled at them._

 _"My dad and Kimmy gave me some ideas a while ago, but today Sam said I should name her Cerulean. I think they're all nice."_

 _The three girls nodded but then a silence spread through us and some tension grew._

 _We still hadn't made our decision._

 _I mean, obviously_ I'd _made mine the minute both options had been given to us,but it wasn't as easy for the other girls. For them, one option took away almost nothing and the other took away almost everything. And yet they knew that if I lost the baby, my whole world would be destroyed. They wanted to do the right thing, but it was so hard._

All this running through my head made me on edge, and so when my phone buzzed I jumped a little. After realizing it was just a text, I calmed down and checked it.

 _Ash is gone._

Emma, Bella, Rikki and I sit in my living room, huddled around another yellow piece of paper. This time it reads:

Hello again, girls!

I'm leaving you this little message to explain that Zane got a bit lonely with all these girls around, so I decided to pick him up a friend. Ash is very excited to retinue with his old pool pal- maybe Will should join the party soon! And Lewis, too!

I'm sorry to say, girls, that if you four haven't made your choice and gone through with it in a month and a half, the boys and I will have to part ways. Don't worry, though.

I'll make sure it's painless.

As usual, yours,

Charlotte

Emma stares down at the paper, looking like she might be sick. I don't feel much better.

"She said she's going to take Will," Bella whispers, eyes wide.

"Well at least you still have him! Who knows what she's been doing to Zane this whole time!" Rikki hisses. I can see the tears in her eyes- it was hardest for her, not even remembering what had happened.

"I don't get how she got him," Emma says quietly, eyes down. "He was right next to me in bed one minute, and then I hear the window shatter and he's gone."

Bella slowly puts one hand on Emma's back, and then says, "We're gonna get him back, Em. I promise. But the first thing we've got to do is make our decision."

All three of them look at me.

"What?" I ask. Emma looks terrified, but Rikki is determined. Bella won't meet my eyes.

" Cleo, we've all been talking. And ... we know it sounds horrible ... and we know it's selfish ... but we can't give up our powers," says Em. I stare at her, not understanding.

"What Emma's saying is this, Cleo," Rikki chimes in, "We're not going to get in that moonpool when it's bubbling, so either you give Charlotte your baby ... or the boys will all die."

I look at them all. "Wh... what? You're telling me that you want me to give up my child?"

Emma barely nods. I don't even know what I'm feeling- rage, hurt, but most of all, shock.

"You're serious? You expect me to give up my _baby?"_ I scream.

Rikki cuts me off, "Please, Cleo, we know it's horrible but she's not even born yet, we wouldn't lose anything!"

I almost laugh at her in disgust. "I WOULD LOSE _EVERYTHING!_ I WOULD NEVER FORGIVE YOU AND I WOULD _NEVER_ FORGIVE MYSELF! My baby is _never_ going near Charlotte, and I will make sure of that. So if you're not jumping in the moonpool, that is too damn bad. I will hit you over the head and _push you in._ But this baby is inside of me. There is _no way_ you can get to her. You have no idea what it feels like to have another human inside of you, to _make life!_ And if you think I'm going to give her up … you're as crazy as Charlotte."

The three girls stare at me until Bella whispers, "Actually … I took a test yesterday. It came back positive. I'm pregnant."

I stare at her, too angry to be excited. "And you still want me to give up my baby? Even though you know what it feels like?!"

Bella still won't meet my eye. I wait for her to respond.

"Cleo, I'm sorry," she whispers. I shake my head, unable to speak.

Finally I choke these words out, "You don't deserve to be a mother."

It looks like I punched Bella in the stomach. I don't even feel bad.

A minute of silence passes before I whisper, "Get out of my house."

They don't move. I'm surprised Lewis hasn't woken up yet.

"Get _out!"_ I hiss, standing unsteadily, my face wet from tears. The three girls finally begin to walk towards the door.

"And by the way, ladies. You should spend some time out of the water, get used to being on land," I say as they walk towards the door. Then I tell them my final message slowly. "Because Charlotte is never, ever, going to get my baby."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18- BELLA'S POV

"Hello?" I call out to as I walk into my apartment, my voice weak. It's been about two weeks since Ash disappeared, I found about my "situation," and Cleo last to talked to us. And how am I doing? Not good.

"Hey," Will responds, walking into our living room with towel around his waist and wet hair. I haven't told him yet- I don't know how.

I did go to the doctor, three days after I took the test, and my DOC was almost two months ago. I wonder what Will is going to say.

Right now, however, he just comes over to me and wraps his arms around my waist, burying his nose in my hair. "Ew," I giggle, "you're all wet!"

"You're gonna be soon," he whispers, and I laugh again, turning to him and leaning into a kiss. Suddenly, though, I feel a sharp pain in my stomach.

"Ah!" I exclaim, putting a hand over my pelvis and falling onto my knees.

"Hey! Hey, are you okay?" Will asks worriedly, crouching down next to me. I take a few quick breaths and focus.

"Yeah," I finally say, beginning to stand again. "I think it was just-" but I'm cut off by another overwhelming feeling of pain. Squeezing my eyes shut, I choke out the words, "Will, I'm pregnant!"

"You … what? Are you serious?" I can hear the confusion in his voice.

"YES," I shout through clenched teeth, "I'm almost two months along … I found out a little over a week ago!

"Why didn't you tell me, Bells?!"

"I was going to, but I was trying to pick the right moment! I just- AHH!" I end my sentence with a scream as I feel like my insides are being torn apart.

"Okay! Okay! Stay calm, sweet heart, it's going to be fine!" Will says, holding my hot hair off my neck. I continue to kneel on the ground, eventually slipping a hand into my pants. When it comes out, it is slick and red with blood.

"Will, we've got to go to the hospital," I say. "There's something wrong with the baby."

"Please, my girlfriend is pregnant! Something's wrong!" Will shouts as soon as we're through the hospital doors. By this point, he's holding me up and I'm sporting a large reddish brown stain on my shorts. I'm feeling pretty out of it.

It seems as if the doctors just swarm around me, and one second I'm with Will, the next he's gone. The last thing I remember is a nice nurse putting a gas mask over my mouth and telling me to take deep breaths, and then I'm out.

"Ms. Hartley?"

…..

"Ms. Hartley? Can you hear me?"

Slowly, I open my eyes. A tall, female doctor is leaning over me, red hair in a bun.

"There now. You're finally awake," she says, scribbling something on her clipboard. I can't feel most of my body.

Suddenly, in a rush, everything that happened comes back to me. I feel sick.

"Don't worry, Ms, you're baby is okay. It seems like an early placental abruption, which, although uncommon during the first trimester, is a relatively normal side effect of pregnancy. You should be fine, as long as you meet with your doctor frequently." Relief floods me and I close my eyes, putting one hand over my stomach.

I had no idea I would be so terrified to lose this child.

And then I think about Cleo.

"Where … where's Will?"

The doctor- Dr. Callahan, her name tag says- responds casually, "Mr. Benjamin left. He didn't leave a message."

I stare at her. Will left? Why would he do that?

To keep from panicking, I rationalize this in my head; He probably just went to pick up something for us it eat. Right?

"You did get one message, however. From a young brunette?" Dr. Callahan tells me. I immediately think of Cleo, but when she hands me the yellow slip of paper, my heart drops.

 _No,_ I think, terrified. _No no no!_

I slowly unfold the paper and begin to read.

Hello, Bella.

I'd appreciate it if you passed this note on to the others, but lucky for you, you're the first to see it.

Now, where were we?

Ah yes. Will, Ash, and Zane are so happy to be with each other once again. Those three are a riot- Angi seems to find Will quite the charmer. Congratulations, by the way!

Oh! That reminds me. You're being pregnant adds a whole new dimension to this ball game- and changes the options. You could still give up your powers, which I'm pretty sure you've already decided against, but if you do chose the baby option, it's all or nothing.

Toodaloo!

Charlotte

I slowly crumble the paper and put it down. "Is there anyone you'd like me to call?" the doctor asks. I barely nod.

"Cleo," I whisper.

"Cleo Sertori."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19- Lewis's POV

"Hello, this is Cleo Mccartney-Sertori," my wife says, holding her cell phone to her ear. "What?! Yes, I'll be there right away."

She clicks her phone shut and hurriedly turns off the oven, taking off her apron as well. I raise one eyebrow. "What?"

"It's Bella," Cleo says, grabbing her purse and keys, "she's in the hospital. Something with her baby."

I get up off of our couch. "Is she okay? Wait, I thought … I thought you guys weren't speaking?"

"Well, Lewis! We _weren't,_ but she's in trouble! I know … I know I was mad at them but after everything we've been through, I've got to be there. She asked for me, Lewis. I've _got_ to go."

I nod and give her a big hug. "I'll come, if you want," I whisper.

"Thank you."

I pull our car into the hospital parking lot. Cleo, huge at eight and a half months pregnant, hops out of our car quickly, waddle-running towards the doors. I get out fast and follow her.

"Hi, I'm Cleo Mccartney-Sertori, I'm looking for Isabella Hartley, she requested to see me," Cleo says in one breath. The receptionist glances at her, startled, and then checks her computer.

"Room 213, second floor," she directs us.

Cleo takes my hand and drags me to the elevator. While we're in it, she jitters nervously. I put my arm around her and try to calm her down.

As soon as the elevator goes _ding,_ we both rush down the hallway and Cleo quickly finds Bella's room.

After a fast knock, Cleo opens the door. Bella is laying on her hospital bed, sleeping. Cleo walks over.

"Hey," she says softly, tears in her eyes. "Hey, Bells. How're you doing?"

Bella slowly blinks her eyes open, looking dazed. "Hey," she whispers.

After a minute, Bella looks as if a realization has dawned on her and she softly puts one hand on her pelvis. She isn't showing yet.

"Charlotte … she took Will. She left a note, she took Will!" Bella says, starting to cry as she sits up in bed. A machine starts beeping.

"Woah, woah. You've gotta calm down, Bella," Cleo says, gently but forcefully pushing her down. I can tell that what Bella said scared her, though. I stand.

"Hey, Bella."

Bella looks at me. "Hey, Lewis."

"Can I see the note?"

Bella reaches onto her bedside table and picks up the little yellow piece of paper. I read it to Cleo out loud. Both girls look strained.

"All or nothing?" I ask.

"Lewis? Are you dumb?" Bella shouts. "She wants both the babies, not just yours!"

Bella puts her head in her hands, pushing back her hair. "I- I can't- I can't!"

Cleo rolls her eyes. "Bella, I came here to see if you were okay. And you are. So I think I'd better be off."

"WHAT? I called for _YOU!_ So _why_ then are you leaving me when I _need_ you?!" Bella exclaims.

Cleo, who's stood up to go by this point, smiles thinly. "Oh, I don't know, Bella! You know what else I don't know? Where the hell _you_ were when I needed _you!_ OH wait! I remember now! _YOU_ were standing by _their side,_ telling _ME_ TO GIVE UP _MY BABY!_ AND NOW YOU'RE HERE, AND SUDDENLY YOU JUST _CAN'T_ GIVE UP YOURS. NOW YOU GET IT, HUH? NOW YOU GET THE WAY I FEEL, RIGHT, BELLA?!" Cleo takes a deep breath. I don't dare say anything. "But now, Bells, it's too late."

All three of us stand still until Cleo begins to leave. I silently follow her.

"I hated the baby," Bella whispers just as we're at the door. Cleo stops.

"It was just this thing inside of me. This tiny, pinky-nail sized egg, with no proof it even existed besides a pink plus on a stick … and- and I was so afraid. Afraid it was going to ruin everything. But now … now I've already almost lost it once, and I've lost Will and … and I know how you feel, Cleo." Bella is still whispering, crying. "And I can't lose it again."

We can all hear the clock tick. Bella buries her head in her hands. "And I'm so, so sorry, Cleo. I'm so sorry, and I'm so ashamed." She can barely choke out the last word. "Please."

Cleo stares at the floor, unresponsive. Finally, she speaks quietly.

"I'm gonna call Rikki and Emma."

Bella lifts her head and looks at Cleo. Cleo walks to her bed.

"We're gonna change their minds," Cleo says, "and we're gonna protect our children."

She pauses.

"Because Charlotte is never, ever going to touch a hair on their heads."


	20. Chapter 20

**Alright guys. Get ready because tonight is the night. I swear to God, Cleo WILL HAVE THIS BABY TONIGHT no matter how many chapters in takes. And, in return for this tremendous favor, REVIEW LIKE MAD!  
DA**

Chapter 20- Cleo's POV

Walking in from our car, Lewis and I hold hands. We've been out all night, trying to avoid the obvious.

It's been two weeks exactly since Will was taken.

Emma, Rikki, and Bella haven't been doing very well. All three are staying at Emma's, and, besides Bella, they're avoiding me. Bella has been trying to talk them into changing their minds about "our decision," but has never come outright and said she's changed hers. She never showed them the note; never told them about the hospital. I guess she's just scared. I, on the other hand, am still angry.

Slowly, I begin to cry. We're almost at the elevator, hands still clasping each other's. I wonder what Lewis is thinking about.

"Hey," he says, taking notice of my tears. I quickly wipe them away. "What's wrong?"

I look at him sideways. "You know what's wrong."

The elevator door opens; we climb in. Lewis takes my shoulder and turns me towards him.

"Cleo," he begins. "You need to promise me something." We get out of the elevator and I fish around in my purse for our key. Finally we enter our apartment. "You need to promise that no matter what Charlotte says, no matter what the other girls do, you will protect our baby." With these words, he has his hand over my stomach. She kicks. "Because even if I'm not here, even if Charlotte …"

I shake my head, tears streaming down my face now. "No," I whisper. "Please don't make me do this."

Lewis pulls me into him, giving me a tight hug. "I love you so much," he whispers. I cry harder. Slowly, Lewis begins to trail small kisses up my neck. My sobs begin to subside as I focus on the pleasurable feeling it gives me, and finally his mouth is on mine. As he deepens the kiss, his tongue brushes my lips and I part them willingly. Lewis's strong hands grab fistfuls of my hair. Finally we rest our foreheads on each other, eyes closed.

"How cute."

I let those words sink in. They came from behind us, and I can picture the woman who delivered them standing just a few feet away. My jaw drops and I begin to tremble. No. NO!

Slowly turning, I begin to cry again. Charlotte is in my home. She is standing there, looking … looking like … me.

"YOU. FUCKING. PSYCHO! HOW DARE YOU COME INTO MY HOME!?" I scream, standing suddenly. I don't know where that came from.

I feel Lewis stand behind me. Charlotte mock-pouts and I cringe.

"Oh, Cleo. Is that anyway to greet an old friend? Besides, I just came by to … pick something up."

I grab Lewis's hand and stride forward. We're only a few feet away from each other now; closer than we've been since we were teenagers.

"You want Lewis?" I ask icily. Charlotte nods, smug. "WELL THAT. IS TOO. DAMN. BAD! YOU CAN TAKE HIM, YOU CAN TORTURE HIM, YOU CAN KILL HIM, BUT YOU CAN NEVER MAKE HIM LOVE YOU! BECAUSE HE. LOVES. ME!" I scream. I don't think I've ever spoken so loudly in my life.

Charlotte looks sincerely taken aback. "Shut up!" she shouts, but I cut her off.

"YOU FUCKING IDIOT! YOU ARE RUINING LIVES BECAUSE YOU'RE STILL BITTER ABOUT TEEN ANGST. GET A LIFE, CHARLOTTE, GET SOMEBODY ELSE TO LOVE YOU! YOU WILL NEVER GET MY BABY!"

Charlotte looks at Lewis. He is a brick wall, finally opening his mouth to tell her this: "You have no. idea. how much I hate you."

I can tell she's had enough, but I'm still seething. "I wish you were dead!" I spit. Lewis grips my hand tighter and a look of pure insanity comes over Charlotte as she screams. "ANGI! DO IT NOW!"

And then a thousand little fireflies light up inside of me and I'm on the ground and I'm gone.

After I can't say how long, I blink open my eyes. My whole body is sore and, with a bolt of lightning, I remember everything that happened. Turning my head, I see a yellow piece of paper and viciously unfold it. Four words:

Meet me at Mako.

Barging into Emma's apartment, I find all the lights out. "Emma!" I call. "Rikki! Bella!"

A light flicks on down the hall and Emma runs out, hair static, looking terrified. Bella and Rikki are close behind. They all stop when they see the paper.

"Come on," I say. "We have to go."

"Go where?" asks Rikki.

"TO MAKO! CHARLOTTE TOOK LEWIS AND SHE SAID TO MEET AT MAKO!" I shout.

"Cleo, calm down."

"I will not calm down, EMMA!"

There is a silence. I stare at them. "I will not. give up. my baby."

"Cleo," Emma says, trying to remain level headed. "Please. We don't want to hurt you."

"YOU THINK YOU COULD HURT ME?" I scream. "THAT'S FUNNY, EM!"

"There are three of us and one of you, Cle!" Rikki chimes in. I look at Bella.

"Actually," she says slowly, walking over to me. "I'm with Cleo." There is a pause, until Bella continues, " Charlotte wants my baby, too."

Emma rolls her eyes and Rikki just stares. After a minute, she begins walking to me as well. My heart swells.

"Rikki?!" Emma shouts.

"I'm sorry, Em. But this is a life. A real, whole life. And I can't … I can't let Charlotte destroy it just so we can keep part of ours," she says quietly. I take her hand, holding Bella's in the other.

Suddenly and without warning, Emma bursts into tears. We all stare at her. "I … I'm just so confused," she sobs, "and so scared. And- and I knew it was wrong but …" There is silence. "I'm so sorry, Cleo."

I stare at her. I have known this girl since I was six years old. We have been through everything together- and a big part of that was being mermaids. And for the first time, I really think about what it will be like to lose that. And I think about how hard it will be for her- and for all of us. And somehow I find it in my heart to say these words and mean it: "I forgive you."

Emma gasps, and then in two long strides she walks to me and crushes me in a hug. After she lets go, I shake take her hand, dropping Bella's. Emma takes Bella's hand in her other, and Bella grabs Rikki's. We all stand in a circle.

And then we go to Mako.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21- EMMA'S POV

As we swim through the water towards Mako, we all take it slowly. Despite being terrified and desperately needing to see Ash again, I know this will be my last swim as a mermaid and that terrifies me even more.

Finally, inevitably, we arrive at the entrance to the moonpool. After making eye contact, Rikki, Bella, Cleo and I swim in.

"Hello girls," echos throughout the cave. Charlotte. "You're late."

With my head now above water, I look around and gasp. Angi, the other mermaid, is standing behind Charlotte, her face wet from tears. Lined against the wall are four boys, their hands tied and mouths gagged. Lewis, Ash, Zane, and Will. Their hand binds are all tied to a central pole; they look like dogs. I can't stand it. Maybe, just maybe, if I …

Quickly, I form an icicle and send it flying towards Charlotte. She tries to dodge but it clips her side anyway, and quickly a red mark forms beneath her shirt. Face angry, she hisses, "That was very naughty, Emma! Now look what you've forced me to do!" She nods at Angi, and, looking terrified, the girl conjures up some water plasma and sends flying to Ash. It's not enough to knock him unconscious, but his screams are echoed all through the cave. "NO!" I scream, pulling myself onto the shore. Ash struggles against his binds, twitching and shaking. "Please," I sob. "please, make it stop."

Slowly, Ash falls to his knees. I can see his chest moving up and down with labored breathing. I flop onto my side. Cleo, Rikki, and Bella follow my lead and drag themselves out of the pool; Rikki swiftly dries us and soon we're all standing.

"Well, well, well. We're finally having the showdown, the epic battle that _everyone's_ been waiting for," Charlotte says sarcastically. Rikki scoffs.

"I thought that happened when we were teenagers, Charlotte. When we _destroyed_ you," she says.

Charlotte's face grows red as she nods to Angi again. "Wait," Rikki says, stepping forward, hands out, "Wait, please don't-"

She's cut off by Zane's screams as electricity bolts through him. Face pale, Rikki steps back in line.

"So," Charlotte says casually after Zane's moans die down, "have you made your choice?"

Slowly, we all nod. "Wonderful," says Charlotte manically. "And?"

Bella steps up here. "We're going to give up our powers."

Grinning, Charlotte gives a little clap. "Well, then! Perfect! The moon should pass over any minute now, and then we'll all be even _finally!"_ she screams. Dear Lord, she's insane!

"No."

I look around. None of the girls have spoken.

"No, you are _not_ going to do this!"

I finally realize it's Angi who's speaking. Charlotte turns to her. I've never heard this girl's voice before.

The Indian girl walks towards us. She is shaking, face pale. "You're not going to ruin any more lives, you fucking psychopath!"

Looking almost a little nervous, Charlotte backs up. "Now, now, Angi. Don't forget that I have all the right people in all the right places!"

"No doubt other people who you're blackmailing! And you know what, Charlotte? You can't blackmail anyone if you're DEAD!" she shouts with a beautiful Indian accent.

Laughing concernedly, Charlotte retorted, "And what, Angi? _You're_ going to kill me? With your plasma, I assume. We both know it's not powerful enough for that."

Angi takes another step towards her. We all watch, silent. "No, it's not. But I've been doing some research of my own, _Charlotte!_ And did _you_ know that, since this very special anomaly takes away the specific energy that makes a mermaid a mermaid, it takes the energy that makes a human a human from a non-mermaid? I mean, it's got to take something!"

"What?" Charlotte exclaims. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, _CHARLOTTE,_ that if you are in this moonpool when the full moon passes over, _you will die!_ It will drain your life force! And I assure you, you will be!" Angi screams. And, with that, she strikes Charlotte with plasma and she, who had been standing on the edge of the shore, falls back into the water.

Twitching and screaming, Charlotte flails in the water, until finally the moonlight begins shine through the volcano opening. The golden bubbles, just like every other month, rise up, and slowly, almost like a hologram, Charlotte begins to disappear. Finally, with one last sheen of white light, the moon passes, the moonpool settles, and Charlotte …

Charlotte is gone.


	22. Chapter 22

**Ahh! It's about to happen! One or two more chapters and then** ** _Bam,_** **little baby Clewis will be here!**

 **Okay, so for the names:**

 **Emma- Mearyha**

 **Rikki- Marilla**

 **Bella- Raina**

 **Ash- Elena**

 **Lewis- Umbra**

 **Zane- Bay**

 **Will- Brooklyn/ Brook**

 **Don- Chelsea**

 **Sam- Cerulean**

 **Kim- Isla**

 **Okay, here we go!**

 **DA**

Chapter 22- Lewis's POV

I kneel on the sandy moonpool floor, hands tied and jaw dropped. How did … what just …

Suddenly, Cleo runs to me. Falling onto her knees, she throws her arms around my neck and begins to sob, untying me at the same time. "Shh," I whisper, still in shock, "it's okay."

"Lewis!" Cleo exclaims, pulling away from me, a huge smile plastered on her face. "Of course it's okay! It's finally all over, we're safe, the baby is safe!" she sobs. Slowly, I smile.

"It's over," I repeat.

"Yes," Cleo cries, "yes it's over!"

I pull her into me again and we rock back and forth. Eyes open, I take in the other reactions going on under the volcano. Next to me, Will is all over Bella, kissing her neck, forehead, lips, stomach, and she is returning the favor, both of them laughing and crying at the same time. Emma and Ash are locked in a passionate make-out session, hands wandering greedily- not what I would expect from them but wonderful nonetheless. And at the far end of our little group, Rikki and Zane …

I wouldn't have ever guessed this from them- I would have been less shocked if they were already naked and on top of each other. But instead Rikki and Zane are standing in a frozen embrace, both of their eyes wide and bodies tight to each other. I can see the shine of their tears from here but they're silent. I've never seen two people need each other more.

"Zane," I hear Rikki whisper. "Charlotte told me congratulations. What did she mean? I don't remember anything from the day … that day …"

"I proposed to you," Zane whispers back.

Neither of them speak until, after a good long moment, Rikki tightens their embrace and whispers, "Yes."

I smile, and in that moment I realize Angi is still standing there.

"Oh," I say, turing Cleo towards her.

"Oh," Cleo repeats. And then she stands, walks to Angi and hugs her tightly. "Thank you so much," she says. Emma and Bella follow her (Rikki still won't leave Zane.)

"What will you do now?" Bella asks.

Angi looks at them. "I think I'm going to go home," she says. "Perhaps we'll meet again." And with that, the girl who just saved our lives jumps into the moonpool and disappears from our lives.

All four of the girls finally converge and join in a tight group hug.

"Ahh!" Cleo suddenly shouts, and I'm by her side immediately.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"My water broke!" Cleo exclaims. "The baby is coming."


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23- KIM'S POV

"Hello? Lewis? Yes- what- slow down, son! WHAT?! Okay, we'll be there right away!" Dad exclaims over the phone, quickly thereafter slamming it down.

Folding the page of my book, I snap it shut and look at him, moving some hair out of my face. "What's up?" I ask quietly from the couch.

Turning the corner from the kitchen into our living room, Dad calls for Sam up the stairs. "Sam, we've got to go!" he shouts. Turning to me, Dad beams as he says, "Cleo's in labor!"

I drop my book and stand. I'm going to be an aunt! Adrenaline races through me.

"What?" Sam asks, coming downstairs. "Where are we going?"

"To the hospital," Dad responds, putting on his coat. "Cleo's having the baby!"

Walking into the maternity ward of the hospital, Dad races to the receptionist's desk. "We're here for Cleo Sertori-McCartney! She's having a baby girl and I'm her father!"

The receptionist smiles knowingly and types something into her computer. "Room 314, sir. She's in the very early stages of her labor so she can still take visitors, but I am going to ask that you go one at a time."

"Can I go first?" I ask before I can stop it. Dad looks at me like he's about to protest, but instead his face softens and he says, "Of course, sweetie."

I look at Sam and she nods with a smile, then the two of them take each others' hands and walk to the waiting area as I head off to find room 314.

A little while down the hall, I find Cleo's room. I knock quietly and wait for her to say it's okay to come in. Opening the door I see my older sister laid out on a white hospital bed, Lewis holding her hand.

"Hey, Cleo," I say shyly. She beams at me and holds out a hand.

"Hi Kimmy. I'm so glad you're here."

I smile and then glance at Lewis. "Can we talk alone?" I ask hesitantly. "If that's okay?"

Cleo nods and Lewis gets up and walks out. "I'll go say hi to your parents," he informs us.

"What's up?" Cleo asks.

"I … I think I'm going to tell Dad about Casey," I whisper.

Cleo opens her mouth but then closes it again and smiles, nodding. "Okay," she tells me.

"How are you?" I ask after a minute.

"Pretty good, so far. The contractions are very far apart and I have a while left to go, but … Isla will be here soon," she says, emphasizing the name.

"Isla?" I ask. "I picked that!"

"I know," Cleo says.

Suddenly, I burst into tears. "Oh, Kimmy," Cleo says, and I lean down and let her hug me. "It's all gonna be okay."

A little while later, I'm out in the waiting room with Sam. Dad is walking down the hall, just finishing up his visit. I stand to meet him. "Can we talk, Daddy?" I ask, terrified. He looks a little surprised but follows me anyway.

Once we're in a nice, private area, I open my mouth. Before I say anything, however, I begin to cry.

"Oh, Kimmy! What's wrong, darling?" He asks worriedly, putting one hand on my shoulder.

"Nothing," I hiccup, "It's just … I think … I think I'm in love."

Dad stares at me. "In love? Why, Kimmy, that's wonderful! Why are you crying? And who is this casanova?"

I lower my eyes and let my tears drip slowly. "It's … Casey."

Dad stares at me.

"It's just," I continue, beginning to cry harder, "I was so afraid for so long. I tried to lie to myself because … I didn't want to disappoint you. And I didn't want to miss out on everything you grow up waiting for … proposal … wedding … baby … none of it would be the same. But then I met her, and she's just so … and I realized that if I could be with her it was worth it. But … I'm so _sorry,_ Daddy," I cry, my voice a high-pitched warble.

"Sorry?" Dad asks. I nod.

Taking my chin into his hand, Dad forces me to make eye-contact with him. "Kimmy, you have nothing to be sorry about. If you are telling me that you're in love … then I hear nothing but good news. I love you for _you,_ sweetheart," he says. I cry harder. "And you can tell _Casey_ that she is welcome in our family."

I fall onto him and he wraps me in a hug. "Oh, baby," he whispers, kissing my hair. "Just promise me you won't move out until you're forty, okay?" he jokes. I laugh through my tears.

Walking back to the waiting room, I hold onto his hand and locate Sam.

"Hey, Sam," I say, sitting next to her. "I wanted to talk to my Dad before telling you this but I really want you to know … I'm a lesbian."

Sam takes in the news for a minute and then smiles. "Casey?" she asks, grinning. I'm surprised.

"How did you know?!"

Still smiling, Sam tucks some hair behind my ear and whispers, "Mother's instinct." I smile.


	24. Chapter 24

**Okay, finally! After a solid three hours of writing for you guys, I can finally submit my finished product, Isla!**

 **Oh wait? Did I say finished? I meant for tonight, because this story is not over.**

 **I really hope to get reviews considering I just wrote 5 CHAPTERS!**

 **DA**

Chapter 24- Cleo's POV

"AHHHHHH!" I scream. The pain has been seemingly endless, Lewis's hand must be broken by now. The contraction ends and I pant.

"Okay, she's fully dilated," a nurse says. "Cleo you're going to have to push! This is the hardest part!"

"That hardest part?!" I pant. But then I think of our beautiful baby girl and find this strength I never even knew existed and as soon as the nurse says to push I am _pushing!_

"AHHHHHHH!" I scream again. Lewis is mumbling about how great I'm doing but I barely hear him through the waves of pain.

"Okay, one last big push!" the doctor urges.

I take a deep breath and push with all my might. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Suddenly, it's over. No more pain, no more screaming, just this tiny, fragile wail of a beautiful newborn baby.

"Oh," Lewis whispers. She is places on my chest and I am crying. Even though she is totally gross and her nose is too flat and her body is wrinkly and red and she's covered in goo and slime she is _my_ disgusting, lovely little Isla.

"Oh my God," Lewis whispers. "She's … she's our baby!"

I laugh and cry and just … I can never describe it. It's bliss.

"We're going to go clean her now," the doctor says.

"WAIT?!" Lewis shouts. "Do you use water?"

"A little, why?" asks the doctor, worried.

"My wife has a severe allergy to water … her allergist said the baby might have it too. I'm so sorry I forgot to tell you, I was just so frazzled and … please just don't get her wet. We need to take her to the allergist to see if she has the allergy," he lies. I'm impressed; did he just come up with that? Luckily they didn't use any water on me during the birth. We forgot about the whole home-birth plan the minute my first contraction hit.

"Oh … okay. We'll just towel clean her," the nurse says, and then they take little perfect Isla out of the room.

"Isla," I whisper. "My Isla."

"Isla?" Lewis asks.

"Oh, yeah … Kimmy suggested it. I just …"

"It's perfect." Lewis smiles at me and leans in for a kiss.

As soon as Isla is clean, she is brought back to us, wrapped up in a swaddle. For the first time she blinks open her big eyes; they're the same smokey blue of every newborn. She sports the gray fuzzy hair as well- what will she look like in a year? Two? Ten?

"Oh, Lewis," I whisper. "We made this."

 **And she's here. Finally. But now for the next question ... will she be a mermaid?**

 **DA**


	25. Chapter 25

**Hey guys!**

 **So, I've decided to skip six months in this story, just to move things along and get some other plot points started. Anyway, here we go!**

 **DA**

Chapter 25- Lewis's POV

"Are you ready?" I ask my wife. Cleo nods at me, looking bittersweet and determined. We walk out of our bathroom, letting the faucet run and fill the tub, to go find get Isla.

It's been six months since Cleo gave birth to our little, perfect, wonderful baby girl. Before her birth, I'd been spending weeks trying to create a non-mermaid inducing baby wipe, and, luckily, I'd come up with one just before she was born. It was Cleo's idea, mostly- that a newborn couldn't handle the transformation. And we've been cleaning her only with those, never getting her wet.

Until today, that is.

I squeeze Cleo's hand and she smiles at me, and finally we walk into the nursery that we so valiantly decorated months before. It's ocean-themed: sea blue walls with fish decals and underwater plants, a sandy shag rug, a little bookshelf that I've painted to look like a reef. Cleo even found a lamp with rotating plastic waves over a blue bulb to look like under-the-sea shadows at a flea market.

As we stand in the doorway, I can hear Isla's heavy baby breathing as she naps in her crib, and wait for a moment. Sure enough, within five minutes of us entering, Isla begins to squirm and cry out in little, sleepy squeaks. That child runs like clockwork.

"Hi," I coo, walking over to her, "hi sweetie. Good morning. Did you have a nice nap?" I scoop my daughter up out of her crib and hold her six-month old body to my chest, letting her head rest on my shoulder. Wearing only a diaper, her little body seems chubbier than ever and I scoot her up a little higher and begin to hum in her ear.

Bringing Isla over to Cleo, I hand her off gently but quickly; I feel that it's necessary to explain that I'm basically a pro by this point in the game. Isla begins to use her voice now (no words yet, but little sounds and chirps) a sure sign she's waking up. "Aw," Cleo says to her, holding her at arm's length, "somebody's tired. Well then, sleepyhead, we're gonna go take a bath now."

Isla looks at Cleo in interest. A bath? We've never done that before.

"Yeah," I chime in. "We're gonna go play in the tub!"

Whenever Isla hears the word "play" she perks up, and this case is no different. Immediately our little girl giggles and claps her tiny hands. "Yeah?" Cleo laughs. "You like that?"

Taking Isla, I follow Cleo into the bathroom nervously. What if she's a mermaid?

But then again, what if she isn't?

We finally walk into the room, where the tub is about half full by now, just enough for a baby. "Okay," I say, undressing her slowly. "Here we go."

I take a minute to look at my squirmy little baby, who is, right now, trying to escape my grasp and crawl around on our fluffy bathmat. Her hair, which our pediatrician says is growing at a rapid rate, falls down to her shoulders in little, sleep-ridden golden curls. Her fair skin is also mine, but her hazel-green eyes are all Cleo. She has little freckles across the bridge of her nose and rosy red cheeks. I kiss her downy head one last time and promise myself that no matter what happens once we put her in that water, nothing about my image of her will change.

Cleo nudges me and I hand Isla over. My wife then proceeds to lean into our daughter's ear and whisper something. Isla looks and her and Cleo kisses her cheek, and then lowers her gently into the tub.

 _One, two three._

I take Cleo's hand.

 _Four, five, six._

Isla is splashing around playfully in the water.

 _Seven, eight, nine._

Suddenly, she gets a funny look on her face.

 _Ten._

Just like that, it's as if our baby _becomes_ water. She is in that state for only a second, however, before reappearing in front of us, splashing around in the tub again.

But this time she is sporting a tiny green tail.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26- Cleo's POV

I stare at my daughter, who has stopped playing in the water and begun to look intently at the tiny tail that has now replaced her chubby little legs. After a second of curiosity, she becomes scared, her face crumpling into a small cry. Her tail flops as she tries to kick her legs and she cries harder, holding up her hands, her signal that she wants to be held. Before I can do anything, Lewis reaches down and grabs her under the arms, trying to figure out how to hold the little mermaid while cooing "Shhh, baby. It's alright."

I know I can't touch her or _I'll_ grow a tail, but there's nothing I want more than to comfort my baby girl. Her fuzzy blonde hair is all over the place and her little red face is wet with tears. I just wish I could hold her to me … make her feel better.

Looking at me, Lewis is silent, a bittersweet look on his face. He begins to towel dry Isla, who, within a few minutes, she becomes human again. This only makes her cry harder and I take her from Lewis, holding our baby girl tightly. "Shhh," I whisper, patting her back comfortingly. "You're okay. Everything's okay, love."

After a while, Isla calms down, her sobs mellowing to whimpers and finally quiet. I hold her for a few more minutes before Lewis and I walk to her room. He begins to look in her drawers for something to wear while I brush her soft blonde hair, allowing myself a small smile. My baby is like me.

"Are you okay?" Lewis asks me, walking over with little blue and green striped leggings and a white t-shirt with Nemo on it.

"Yeah," I respond, smoothing down the last of her hair. "Are you?"

Lewis smiles. "Yeah."

Hosting up a now-dressed Isla, I follow Lewis out of the room and set her down in front of the tele for a bit, turning on a rerun of _Bananas in Pajamas_ before meeting my husband in the kitchen. "So," he says, "we have a baby mermaid."

I laugh a little. "Yeah, I guess we do. Oh, Lewis, what on earth are we going to do with her?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, even if we explain to her that she can't tell anyone … she's just a baby. She's gonna let it slip somehow. Even if she doesn't tell anybody, she'll go play in the sprinkler with her friends one day because she forgot, or somebody will spill something on her and she won't be able to get out fast enough. And she definitely won't be able to control her power for a long time, Lewis. How are we going to keep her safe?"

Lewis doesn't look at me, instead he keeps his eyes down and forehead wrinkled. "I've been considering all this, too, Cleo," he admits. "And I think I have something of a plan. I think the best thing to do right now is just let her get used to her tail and try to look out for her power. Once she's older, we'll try and explain that she can't tell anybody about her … mermaid-ness, but even so, we're going to have to keep a close watch on her … playdates at our house, making up excuses when she's invited over other people's. And for school … we could send her to Emma's."

After majoring in early childhood education, Emma went on to open a small preschool for kids 2-5. I know that if we sent Isla to the Aquarium Daycare, Emma wouldn't let anything happen to her. I begin to warm up to Lewis's plan ands smile at him.

"Okay?" he asks me. I nod.

"Okay, great. So what do you want to do for din-" Lewis is in the middle of asking me this when Isla begins to cry. We both smile and walk out of the room.

When we get to her, however, I gasp. Isla is lying on her back, green tail flopping all over the place. What got her wet. Lewis picks her up, and indeed her little belly is wet with something- not any bodily liquid, they don't change us. In a moment, however, she transforms back, without Lewis even drying her. And on her belly is the plastic teething ring she'd just been playing with. I stare at him. Isla just liquefied it.


	27. Chapter 27

**Hey guys! Sorry it's been a while but school and everything so ... here you go!**

Chapter 27- Bella's POV

I slowly feel my senses come alive but keep my eyes closed, trying to revel in the warmth of my bed for a few extra minutes. Suddenly a sharp kick to my adominon makes my eyes fly open on instinct and I scowl. The baby even controls when I wake up.

Tiredly, I try to prop myself up, but the huge weight of my stomach pushes me back onto the mattress with a _thump._ Will walks in, drying off from his shower, and grins at me. I frown.

"Ugh," I complain, "this baby is so heavy!"

Although, to be fair, it's not _all_ baby weight. Unlike Cleo who looked like a bean pole with a beach ball attached to it during her third trimester, I've gained a little more than the average pregnancy. Okay, more than a little more. But Cleo never had cravings like I do- I think this baby is going to be disappointed that he/she's not going to be able to eat ice cream for a while. Because I've never eaten so much of that dessert in my life.

"Here," Will says, still, smiling. "I'll help you." With a grunt that earns him a glare, my boyfriend helps me stand up. I walk out of our bedroom and he follows behind me.

"This baby," I say, plunking myself at the kitchen table with a bowl of chocolate ice cream, "better be worth the trouble." Although I get annoyed with the struggles of pregnancy pretty often, I'm ecstatic for he/she to arrive. I already love them so much!

"I'm sure she will be," Will responds, sitting across from me in a pair of boardshorts, eating an egg sunny side up and drinking a protein shake. His six pack and healthy breakfast make me squirm.

"She?" I ask. "And what makes you think it'll be a girl?"

"I don't really think so, I just think I'd like a girl," Will says casually.

"And if it's a boy?"

"I'll like it just as much," says Will. I smile.

At eight and a half months pregnant, I'm pretty prepared for the baby to come whenever. I hope it's sooner rather than later, though.

"I think it'll be a boy," I state. Will asks why. "There's just something different about it … I think if it was a girl I'd feel more similar to it, you know?"

Will squints at me. "So what you're saying is that there's a tiny penis inside of you and you can't relate?"

I blush and giggle. "No! It just feels … boyish."

Will smiles and nods before getting up, kissing my head, and leaving to go train. I watch the door close behind him, calling out a quick, "Love you!" before he's gone.

After a few more minutes of eating ice cream, I stand and begin to clear my dishes. Suddenly a sharp pain in my abdominal makes me cry out and I drop my bowl, distantly hearing it shatter. Everything seems fuzzy compared to the pain. What's going on? The doctor said early contractions would barely hurt at all, and this isn't the zap-like feeling between my hips that he described. This- this is-

I scream again as another pain hits me, sliding down the wall on my back and squeezing my eyes closed. The only pain I've ever felt that's close to this was that time when I had to go to the hospital for that thing … what did they call it …

Once more I scream, so loudly that it hurts my throat this time, and somehow manage to reach into my underwear beneath my pajama shorts, and my hand comes back drenched in blood. I realize I've made a pool of the red, vital liquid on the kitchen floor and I scream again, closing my eyes. The pain is overwhelming.I can feel myself fading … fading … away from the pain and the blood and the fear …

Where am I?

Am I floating?

Am I dead?


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28- Rikki's POV

I sit across from Zane, methodically eating my cereal and thinking about what to make for dinner. Absent-mindedly, I rub my thumb across my wedding ring. Across the table, Zane's spoon hits the side of the bowl and I glance at him and smile. He smiles back.

The last six months have been unusual. They've shaped our relationship in unexpected ways- destroying what reliance we had in each other's presence and yet creating a sort of disparity that I've never experienced before. We hide our terror well during the day, but at night he wakes up screaming from nightmares and I comfort him while I cry. Things are finally reestablishing a routine but sometimes when he takes just a little too long coming home from work, or I forget to mention that I'm running over to Emma's for a minute, the fear rebounds and it feels like we can't escape it. The thing is, Charlotte's dead. She's not coming back- if only I believed that she's the only threat out there.

Anyway, at this moment, Zane reaches across the table and puts his hand over mine. "You want to drive up to the planetarium tomorrow? I hear they have a new exhibit on-" before Zane finishes his sentence, he stops and frowns.

"What?" I ask.

"Nothing … I just thought I heard something. Anyway, the-"

Zane stops again and this time I listen, too. I do hear something- a faint screaming?

"You hear that?"

"Yeah."

We're both silent for another second until I shrug and say, "It's probably nothing." But another, louder scream makes me frown and I stand up.

"Where do you think it's coming from?" Zane asks, and I shake my head, opening the door to our apartment and sticking my head into the hall. Nope, not our floor.

I walk back to the table and put my head against the carpet. Another scream, much louder and clearer this time. "I think it's coming from downstairs."

"Well, who's right below us?"

"We're 621, and the floors are all the same, right? Evens on the left, odds on the right, floor number in the hundreds place. So who's 521?" I think outloud. I feel like I recognize that number …

" _Okay, this is our place! Don't forget the number, guys, because apparently our neighbor is grumpy, so I don't want you knocking on the wrong door," Bella says._

" _521 … 521 … I think I got it …" Cleo repeats the room number a couple more times._

" _Easy," I chime in. "We're 621. You must be right below us."_

I bolt upright in my chair and exclaim, "That's Bella's room! Come on!"

A minute later, I am at Bella's door, which, luckily, is unlocked. I walk in, past the living room area and start calling out. "Bella?! Will?!"

Zane is close behind me, and I run to check the bedrooms as he goes into the kitchenette. Just as I get to their room I hear Zane shout for me, "I found her!"

I run to the kitchen and find him trying to hoist Bella up. I feel faint; there's blood everywhere and Bella is sickly pale. Some of the blood is dark and old but I can tell she's still bleeding by the bright red color on her clothes and around her. Her head lolls uselessly. "Help!" Zane cries, "She's heavy!"

I walk to him and then stop, "Wait, should we move her? It might make it worse …"

Zane, who looks as panicked as I feel, puts her back down and runs a hand through his hair, getting blood on his forehead. "Call 000," I instruct him, "I'm going to call Emma and Cleo."

While Zane speaks to the 000 operator, I quickly dial Cleo's number. There's no answer; I call again. Nothing. "Dammit, Cleo!" I shout, dialing Emma's number next.

On the second ring she picks up, "Hey Rikki. What's up?"

"I heard screaming from my apartment and so I went to Bella's and she's- she's- she's bleeding everywhere and she's not waking up and I don't know what to do!" I say as fast as possible.

"What? Rikki, slow down-"

"Emma, something's wrong with the baby! Just come to Bella's, okay?!"

I hang up the phone before she responds and call Cleo a third time. She picks up on the sixth ring. "What is it, Rikki?" she sounds a little annoyed. "I'm kind of busy."  
Not into the speaker, I hear Cleo say, "Lewis, stop. I'm on the phone."

"Cleo, you have to get to Bella's!" I cry. I hear Emma come in as I talk.

"What is it? I'm in the middle of something-"

"SEX CAN WAIT!" I scream. "Something's wrong with her, she's bleeding everywhere! JUST COME!"

I hang up and turn to see Emma propping Bella up a little. "Should we move her?" I ask.

"I don't want the blood to clot inside her uterus or her vagina- I think we should sit her up."

I nod and ignore Zane's uncomfortable look. _You need to do something,_ I think. _You can't just stand around waiting for her to die while the ambulance comes you have to-_ "Rikki, she's burning up. Get an ice pack from the freezer," Emma instructs. I'm suddenly very glad she's here.

As I bring an ice pack, I ask, "Can't you just use your powers?"

"I could, but-" Emma struggles for words. "Stressful situations are the one time when I can lose control … I would never forgive myself if I hurt her."

I nod understandingly and put the pack on her forehead. Suddenly Cleo rushes in, only in a robe. I note that her hair is totally dry. Lewis isn't far behind her, wearing his boxer shorts, and I'm somehow annoyed that they were having sex while Bella was … was …

Maybe it's because, since Zane was taken, we haven't done a thing. We've just been holding onto each other.

Suddenly, Bella spasms. Her body jolts violently and she coughs, a little bit of vomit dribbling down her chin. "WHERE IS THE DAMN AMBULANCE?!" I shout through clenched teeth, trying to hold her shoulders. Emma helps me.

"Bella, please be okay," Cleo cries, kneeling next to us. "Did anyone call Will?"

We all look at each other blankly and I sigh. "I'll do it," I say, standing. Cleo takes my place at Bella's side. I call him twice before he picks up.

"Hey," says Will. "Sorry, I was underwater when you called. You should've seen the-"

"Will, it's Bella. Something's the matter, she's bleeding everywhere and she's unconscious. We called 000 and they're on their way, but you've gotta come home."

There's silence. "Is it the baby?"

"We don't know, Will. I gotta go, please just get home-"

"WAIT! Rikki, wait. Please … please stay on the phone with me. I need to know what's happening … I won't be able to get back for twenty minutes at least, I'm out on the water, I …"

I sigh and agree to stay on with him, putting him on speaker and leaving my phone on the counter. Bella jolts again and she throws up more this time, her eyes remaining closed. "Please be okay," Cleo sobs.

Finally the 000 workers burst in. A tallish man runs to us and he and his buddy lift Bella like she's a twig, placing her on a stretcher and wheeling her out. I grab my phone and tell Will to meet us at the hospital before following them out. Another doctor asks me questions; how long has she been this way? Does she have a fever? How far along is she?

Silently, Lewis, Cleo and Emma squeeze into the back of our car and Zane drives. I sit in the passenger's seat with my phone in my hand. We follow the ambulance.

"Is she going to be alright?" Will asks through the phone. I can tell he's crying.

"I don't know, Will. I don't know."

Within a few minutes we're at the hospital. The doctors swarm Bella, wheeling her into a room so quickly it's like she's disappeared. Zane, Emma and I, in our work clothes, along with robe-clad Cleo and boxer shorts Lewis, sit on the waiting room chairs. After a few minutes Will runs into the hospital, wearing his trunks and still wet from diving. "Where is she?" he shouts, running to us.

"They took her into a hospital room," says Lewis.

Will walks to the chair next to me, sinks into it, and begins to sob.

A few hours later, a doctor walks out of the room. "Bella Hartley's family?" he asks. All six of us stand, but Emma, Cleo, Lewis, Zane and I sit back down as Will rushes to the doctor.

"Are you her husband?" the doctor asks.

"Yes," responds Will, not bothering to say he's actually her boyfriend.

"Well congratulations, Mr. Hartley-" again, Will doesn't correct him, "You have a baby boy. He's in great condition, only a week and half premature so no need for the incubator. We've cleaned him and he's in the nursery."

"Did you use … water to clean him?" Will asks. He hasn't seemed to process the fact that he has a son.

"Yes, a little. Why?"

Will looks spacey. "No reason."

I understand, though. The baby isn't a mermaid- or, a merman.

"Unfortunately, however, we had to perform an emergency c-section on your wife, and she's not in surgery. She's not in critical condition but … things aren't looking great. She was suffering from placenta previa, a condition very rare in women this late in their pregnancy."

"Our doctor … she said something about that when Bells was in the middle … she said it would go away by now."

"She should have been right. Only 1 in 200 deliveries are complicated by placenta previa, but they can cause premature labor and extreme bleeding. In Bella's case, she's lost 40% of her blood- an extremely high amount- and the spasms have damaged the wall of her uterus. She should make it, Mr. Hartley, but she will need to remain in the hospital under constant supervision for at least a week, assuming things go perfectly. If not … only time will tell."


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29- Emma's POV

Cleo, Lewis, Rikki, Zane and I sit around Cleo's kitchen table. After almost six hours at the hospital, Will had convinced us that it was no use staying anymore and, after he'd promised to call _immediately_ if anything happened, we'd left.

"Does anyone want anything?" Lewis asks, standing and walking into their kitchen.

"I'll have a water, babe," responds Cleo. I ask for a water, too.

"I'm good," says Rikki, and Zane asks for a beer. The five of us sip our drinks nervously.

"Alright, come on guys," Lewis finally says, breaking the silence. "I'm sure Bella will be fine … the doctor said she could be home within the week."

Cleo is getting teary again at the mention of doctors and recovery. "What if she's not fine though, Lewis? And what if they get some water on her and she turns and they dissect her and …"

"Hey, shh, that's not going to happen," Lewis says, pulling her into him and kissing the side of her head. I frown slightly. Suddenly Isla begins to cry.

"Oh," Cleo says, standing. "I've got to pull myself together, I've got to calm down …" she trails off as she walks to the nursery. We're all silent again.

I look at Zane and Rikki, who are sitting across from me. Rikki is rubbing one hand over her engagement ring, her eyes glossy, and Zane is right next to her, arm around her shoulder, nose in her hair. I try to remember how long they've been together … they dated for almost a year when we were sixteen, then two more until we were eighteen … they got back together nearly five years ago now. So off-and-on for eight years? I guess so … it seems like such a long time.

When I came back from my travels, it was a little strange, I have to admit. First I had to see Ash again, the boy whose heart I'd broken years ago when I told him I was leaving. Then my two best friends had suddenly adopted a new girl, a _mermaid_ at that, and not just any mermaid, a gorgeous, funny, sweet, lovable, smart mermaid with a smoking hot boyfriend who had washboard abs. Not that I didn't like Bella, no we were great friends right from the start, we still are, but back then I just felt … out of place. Maybe it was the dynamic of our group, I don't know.

Rikki had Zane (even though they were technically broken up, they were always together in our minds,) Cleo had Lewis, and Bella had Will. All seven of us would got to Mako together and they'd all know our secret. Who was I supposed to be with? I felt like I needed to know …

And then, after trying to get serious with somebody for ages, there was still the stable boy in the back of my mind. Ash and I hadn't talked for a while but one day, one stupid, desperate day, I called him up. And we talked, and we laughed. I remember feeling safe and comfortable, the way I would feel around Lewis or Rikki or even Zane … not they way I was supposed to feel around Ash. But who cared? Not me, and besides, he was clearly head-over-heels.

I lost my virginity to Ash. I stayed with Ash. But the saddest part was that that whole time, somewhere deep down, I knew we weren't meant to be. I kept trying to push it, get the wheels turning again, but it was no use. I was finally prepared to end things when suddenly he was gone.

Charlotte ruins everything.

Anyway, by the time we reunited, what was I supposed to do? "Oh hey, I'm so glad you're alive and I'm so sorry that I almost got you killed but I think we work better as friends, okay?" That's a dick move if there ever was one. But then it was a few weeks later, a few months later …

Cleo comes back in carrying Isla, who is still sleepy from her nap. I smile a little and really think about what I've been putting myself through, putting Ash through. I want the chance to raise a perfect, wonderful little baby with my husband, the husband who I love and never doubt that I'm meant to be with. As Cleo sits next to Lewis and he pecks her cheek, followed by a little raspberry on Isla's belly, I make up my mind. I'm going to end things tonight.

"Hi baby," Lewis coos, picking up his little daughter. She laughs with delight as he tickles her and Cleo laughs too. I hear Rikki and Zane murmur something from across the table and then they give each other a soft, lingering kiss. I know I've made the right decision.

Suddenly the phone rings. Cleo rushes to answer it.

"Hello?" she says hopefully. "Hey. Yeah. Oh my God. Oh, thank God, okay, yeah okay. Yeah, we'll be there."

Cleo puts down the receiver and beams at us. "Bella's in recovery."


	30. Chapter 30

**Hey guys!**

 **So I'm going to skip a couple weeks ahead in this chapter but it's going to be formatted differently then the other, the POVs are going to change throughout the chapter to give an update on each of the character's story lines. Review to let me know whether or not you like this format!**

 **I'm also thinking about adding another baby to the mix- not Rikki or Emma though. What do you all think?**

 **DA**

Chapter 30- Cleo's POV

Boosting Isla onto my hip, I carefully make my way through the hall, trying not to wake Lewis. I've been wanting to take Isla down to visit Bella, Will, and Percy for a while now, but Bells is only awake from 7 a.m to noon, and then again from 2 p.m to 9 p.m.

After a long, harrowing hospital experience, Bella was allowed to return home after two weeks. Will and their newborn baby went home with her, too, of course, but only a couple days later Bella collapsed again and was rushed back to the hospital. She left another week later, and things have been running semi-smoothly ever since.

Except one thing.

I remember the moment we were all finally alone together, back at Will and Bella's apartment. "They got water on me," Bella had said tearily. "Nothing happened, though. I didn't change."

For a moment after that, the six of us had been silent.

"Maybe you were just tired," Rikki ventured. "Once I went swimming at for so long that when I got to the shore, even long after I'd dried, I didn't change back. I was seriously worried by the time it happened- I guess my body was just so exhausted that it couldn't change. That … that's probably what happened to you."

There was another quiet moment, and then Bella nodded. Some of the tension was relieved but we were still stressed and terrified. That was probably what happened to her. But what if it wasn't?

Besides all this, however, the last month has been uneventful. Isla, now seven months old, is growing rapidly. Her fuzzy blonde hair has quite a curl to it, something she inherited from neither Lewis nor me, and her eyes are still all mine. As for Lewis and I, we've actually been doing wonderfully, despite stress.

We've been looking into buying a house, which is something new. I think I'd really like to get more room for Isla to play, and the appeal of just owning a house is something of it's own.

As for mermaid powers, Isla has been progressing. She had been liquefying bigger and bigger objects, although her powers don't extend to living things so far. Isla has stopped crying every time she changes.

She does, however, cry when she's hungry. Which seems to be right about now.

Emma's POV

I did it.

I broke up with Ash.

And now … now things have gotten bad.

The day I realized that holding onto this dead relationship was a mistake, I'd gone home and decided to wait until the next day. Too much had happened with Bella, I needed to let myself calm down.

The next morning, however, I accepted that I wasn't going to feel differently.

 _"Hey," I say, sitting down across from Ash. "Can we talk?"_

 _Ash smiles at me and it makes this whole thing harder. He came by last night as soon as soon as he heard about Bella, and I didn't have the heart to tell him to leave. Now I wish I had._

 _"Sure."_

 _I swallow. "So … I've been thinking about this a lot lately, and … I feel like, for a while now, we've been lacking the connection we had at the beginning …"_

 _Ash's smile falters, "Are you breaking up with me?"_

 _"Ash …" I say slowly. I can't speak. "I'm so sorry, but I just don't feel … romantically about you anymore. I just … I think it's better this way."_

 _Ash has barely been listening since I said I was sorry, confirming what he thought. I'm getting a little nervous, I've never seen Ash angry before. Sure, we've had small spats before, but he's never really yelled. "Ash," I say, trying to calm him down. "Please talk to me."_

 _"TALK to you! You want me to TALK to you! HA!"_

 _I stand up, like he has, and try to put my hands on his shoulders. "GET OFF ME!" Ash screams, pushing roughly away._

 _"Ash!" I yell out of shock._

 _"Four years and I never did one thing wrong, and now you just tell me you don't feel that way- you don't feel that way!" he is muttering. I try to talk to him again._

 _"Ash, I'm sorry, but you deserve to know! Please, I would appreciate it if you grabbed anything you have here and leave. I can't do this right now, we can talk later if you want but first you need to calm down."_

 _For once, Ash does as I said. He gets his few belongings and begins to leave. I grab him before he's out, though, having just remembered something. "Wait, Ash, you still won't tell anyone, right?"_

 _There's a tense moment when Ash doesn't turn, and when he does I'm suddenly on the ground. Did he really just push me?! My chest hurts where he made contact and my stomach hurts from fear. I put one hand on my back pocket, where my phone it, just it case._

 _"Yeah," Ash responds. For a minute I try to remember what I even asked him. "I won't tell anyone, Em." His voice is cruelish, like he's taunting me. Is he serious? "I won't tell a soul."_

And so far, Ash has been true to that. But I'm still not sure.

What if he tells?

Rikki's POV

I roll over in bed, reaching out for Zane. Nothing. I bolt upright.

"Zane!" I call, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. "ZANE?!"

I'm running towards the door by this point, blanket gathered around me, mind racing to rationalize his absence. _He's probably eating breakfast, he's probably getting something from the store, he's probably-_

"Woah!" Zane catches me in his arms as I billow out of the hallway. "Woah, calm down, I'm here."

I push myself into him and he hugs me tightly. "I'm here," he whispers.

"You weren't in the bed," I whimper, "and then you didn't respond, and I thought- I thought …"

"I was in the bathroom, I'm here now, I'm okay, we're okay."

I suddenly get angry and hot, frustrated tears run down my face. "I hate this!" I yell. "I can't keep doing this, Zane, I can't just live like this."

Zane hold me at shoulder length and then hugs me again. "Let's go to the living room," he says.

Soon we're sitting on our couch, my hands in his, my engagement ring shining. "I can't keep living like this," I repeat.

"Neither can I, Rik," he responds quietly. For a moment I tense and wonder where this could go.

"I think we need help."

I narrow my eyes. "Like a shrink?"

"I don't see why not. I mean … you're not getting better. You were, but now it's sort of plateaued. I love you so much, and I want to have a life where I can go to the bathroom without terrifying you. If this is where we're going to be then I'll do it, I'd do anything for you, but if we can get better …"

As Zane's been speaking, my emotions have been going up and down. At first I was angry- I have gotten better! Then it was understanding and apprehending, now willingness. "Okay."

"Okay?" Zane asks, as if surprised by my answer.

"Yeah," I say. "Okay. I want to have the best life I can have with you, Zane, and if that means going to therapy, then … okay. I'll do it."

Zane looks shocked, and then suddenly he's all over me, kissing every inch of my body.

"Oh my God," he gasps between kissing me. "I love you so much!"

I laugh and wipe my tears. Zane cups my face in his hands and then looks at me hard. "I really mean it, Rik. I love you more than I ever thought was possible."

Instead of responding, I lean in and kiss him hard, and then …

Then we do something we haven't done in months.

Bella's POV

I wake up suddenly, as if a crash or something startled me. Such a quick awakening made my head pound, however, and now I feel sick.

Great way to start the day.

Next to me in bed, Will is still sleeping soundly. I only get a moment to envy him before Percy starts to cry from his little cradle. I sigh, now not wanting to wake Will. I can get Percy by myself, right?

No problem.

Slowly, I put my feet on the ground, my breath short. And then I try to stand.

My legs, shaking from exertion, are on pins and needles. My head begins to hurt more as I make my way to the crib. Bending down, I pick Percy up. "Shh, it's okay, baby. You're okay.'

The pounding in my head and the shaking of my legs overwhelms me by this point and I slide down, sitting on the floor and propping my back against the bed. Percy begins to quiet and I kiss his forehead, feeling the warmth of his small body seep through to me.

After the waking up in the hospital, I'd met my little man groggily. I didn't really realize that I'd had my baby until the next day, after I woke up from recovery. And I'd immediately asked to see him.

Will and I had spent a perfect moment on the hospital bed with our tiny, newborn baby. He'd suggested the name Percy and it seemed perfect. Now, a month later, Percy's eyes are still there same bright blue color but his hair has darkened out, coming to a brown color that he didn't get from Will or me.

"Shh," I whisper as Percy begins to whimper again, wanting food. I'm too tired to get a bottle and much too weak to breastfeed. I can feel tears prick my own eyes as he cries louder. "It's okay, baby."

I begin to take off my shirt, holding his face to my nipple, but I don't think I've lactated and he just sobs, not wanting what I'm offering. I begin to cry in earnest now. "It's okay," I say tearily. "Here, you can drink if you want."

I feel Will roll over on the bed, and then hear the noises of him waking up. "Woah," he says when he sees me on the ground. He's beside me in a second. "What are you doing, Bella? What happened?"

I'm still crying and now Percy is screaming, his little face bright red. "He won't latch!" I say. "I got up to get him when he started to fuss but he won't latch!"

Will gets up and runs to the kitchen, coming back with a bottle.

"Here, baby," he says, taking Percy from me and putting the bottle nipple to his face. Our baby latches eagerly and I cry harder.

"Hey now," Will says, sitting down next to me, "it's okay. Look, he's eating!"

"He wouldn't even look at me!" I sob. "I couldn't even get the bottle! I'm so worthless!"

Will is quiet.

"You're not worthless," he finally says. I look at him. "You're recovering. And you're a wonderful mother, Bells. Look at you. You can barely walk and yet the minute he started to cry you were there. I didn't even wake up. I could never do this without you."

I sniff and put my head on his shoulder. You're recovering, I tell myself. You're recovering, you're recovering …

Kim's POV

Sitting on my bed, I flip mindlessly through a magazine. My short hair is falling in my eyes but I don't move it as I'm leaning on my elbows. This summer, after my first year at Uni has been bliss. Besides my job, I've had time to myself- and there's still so months to go.

The reason I'm not paying attention to the article I'm reading, though, is the fact that Casey is coming home today. After telling Dad and Sam about us, we've been stronger than ever, but the school separation was trying. We visited each other almost every month, and Uni has treated her well. Really well, actually …

Unlike most freshers, my girlfriend lost weight over the year. Her once cute, chubby frame has narrowed down to a drop-dead gorgeous hourglass. She's let her hair grow out longer and started to do things differently with her fashion, changing her look from adorable and slightly dorky to sleek and attractive. At first these changes scared me, but now I've come to understand that she's ten times more confident than she ever was before. And when Casey is happy, I'm happy.

I've changed as well, but … differently. The only similarity between our transformations is that I, too, have lost weight. Unlike Casey, however, it doesn't look too great on me. The once thin but good looking body I called my own is gone, replaced by an even skinnier, almost boney version. My breasts, which were never very large, are basically gone. I don't know what to do, I'm eating a lot but nothing seems to work. Other than my weight, I've cut my hair even shorter, which works well for my face. I've begun to dress darker, abandoning my pink and white for blue and black. Today, as I wait for my girlfriend, I'm wearing a dark purple tank top and a pair of blue jean shorts, my hair down and tucked behind my ears. Suddenly the doorbell rings.

I run downstairs and throw my arms around Casey the minute the door opens. She screams and hugs me back tighter. Her dark, curly hair smells good and I laugh, kissing her on the lips.

"Hey, no funny business!" I hear from behind me and I jump, turning to find Dad and Sam.

"Dad!" I moan. Sam smiles and takes a step forward, greeting Casey. After a moment, Dad does the same. Then we go upstairs.

After a long time of rehashing old memories, Casey gets serious. "Kim," she says softly. I nod. "I love you."

My face almost breaks in half as I grin. "I love you, too."

Casey takes a deep breath and then looks straight at me. "I want to have a baby."

 **Woah, okay. A little longer than I anticipated, but whatever! Hopefully you all like it!**

 **REVIEW PLEASE!**

 **P.S I promise I'll do Lewis next chapter, and maybe some of the other boys later on:)**

 **DA**


	31. Chapter 31

**Okay guys so I know I promised a Lewis chapter but I figured I shouldn't leave the Casey-Kim cliff hanger for too long so here you go!**

 **DA**

Chapter 31- Kim's POV

"A baby?"

I stare at her for a minute, trying to asses the situation. "I mean, I want to have a baby, too, at some point," I finally say.

"No, I mean, I want to have a baby now."

Casey is beaming, her deep tan aglow, but I can see the fear in her eyes. She's afraid I won't want to do this.

"Casey … I know you think you really want this, but … we're still in Uni. I'm only twenty, you're barely twenty-one. It's just the hormones talking, we're not ready to raise a child, I just … I don't know what to say."

Reaching for the purple hair tie on my wrist, I give myself a ponytail- using my hands makes me feel less awkward.

"I know it seems like some impulsive idea, Kim, but I've seriously given this a lot of thought. We've been together for, what, six years? Almost seven. And, in that time, have you ever doubted that we were meant to be?" I stare at her and try to figure out what to say. Casey sounds so enthusiastic but … a baby? It's insane!

"No," I respond quietly. "I've never doubted it."

Casey takes my hands. "Neither have I. And for this last year, I've been really trying to think about what I want to do with my future- I want to be a home designer, I think. But the thing is, looking through all those catalogs, taking all those courses, another idea began to take root inside me. I really, really want to be a mother. It's not just hormones, I've been trying to work out the details for the last year and I really think we could do this!"

"How?" I ask. "How could we do this? Neither of us have real jobs, first of all, and second, it's not as simple as it would be for other couples. We can't just take the condom off and _poof,_ a little baby!"

"I know, I know. But I've been looking into a career as an assistant/apprentice to Kelly Xavier- she's the leading home design woman on the Gold Coast- and if I make it through the last round of the hiring process then I'll be in. It doesn't pay _hugely_ but I'd make a pretty good salary, definitely enough to cover the cost of living for at least me and the baby. If you got a job, too, then we'd be set. And as for the whole "getting pregnant" thing, I think we should adopt. That way, we'll have more time during the process to prepare, and we'll be keeping some innocent kid out of the foster system."

I'm silent. The more Casey talks, the more manageable this sounds. But do _I_ really want a baby right now?

"Hey," Casey says, touching my cheek. "You don't have to feel pressured into doing anything, okay? This is up to you."

I picture it. Picture coming home from work to hear the sound of our little baby, buying them their first backpack, sending them off to school. And to be honest, I love the picture.

"How about we start looking into things?" I say. "And we just take it slow."

Casey breaks into a huge grin and she tackles me, forcing me to fall back onto my bed and laugh out loud. Kneeling over me, Casey kisses me hard on the mouth, and just as things start to get serious, I hear a knock on my door. Getting up, I'm annoyed to see my dad on the other side.

"What's up?" I ask.

"I heard bed springs. Just making sure there's no funny business."

I almost die.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32- Lewis's POV

Putting my car into park, I sit silently for a minute. This morning has been ... stressful.

 _"Lewis! You can't expect me to get up every time, every night, just because you have work! You need to help out more!"_ All this, plus screaming Isla, made for a hard way to wake up.

Finally, I get out of the car and begin to walk into the building where I work. Although being a scientist seemed like the dream to my 16 year-old self, some days I do spend my time sitting at a desk and figuring out my paperwork. Cleo has a science related job as well, one she will return to after the end of her maternity leave. Editing and peer-reviewing _Structural Biology,_ the renowned science journal. If Isla majors in humanity we won't know what to do!

Anyway, I'm just walking inside when one of my coworkers, Leena, walks over to me. Some of her curly hair falls into her eyes as she hands me a coffee. "Here," she says. "I thought the new daddy could use this."

I smile gratefully and walk with Leena to our shared desk area. Our boss- Sam- walks over and puts a file down on my desk. "This is the report on that artificial cabbage germination I mentioned. Please look it over and have it back to me by tomorrow."

After Sam walks away, Leena wiggles her eyebrows at me. I smile.

Leena is short, shorter than Rikki, but she's around my age. Twenty-something. I never bothered to ask. Anyway, she has dark, wildly curly hair and medium brown skin. She's been working at the firm for longer than I have and she's my favorite coworker. Her husband, Roy, is a very nice man as well.

"Hey," Leena says, getting my attention. "Me and the guys are going out for drinks after work. You there?"

I wonder whether or not this is a good idea. Cleo has been really stressed at home lately.

"No," I finally answer. "I should go home to Cleo and Isla."

Leena smiles and nods. "Okay, I get it. That Cleo is one lucky girl."

"Thanks, but it's me who got lucky," I reply sincerely.

Leena tries to smile again but something in her look seems bittersweet. I'm about to ask her the matter when her phone begins to ring.

"Hello?" My friend asks, picking up. "Oh, hi ... did you get the papers? ... and you showed them to Roy? ... Well what did he say?" Frowning, Leena scribbles something down on a piece of paper. "Okay, well I'm at work right now. Can I call you back? ... Okay, great ... okay, thanks. Bye."

"What was that about?" I ask her.

"Oh, that was my lawyer. Apparently Roy just changed his conditions about what he wants from the house," she says casually, beginning to work on a form.

"What?" I ask, surprised. "You're getting divorce?" I whisper the word like I'm a third grader saying a swear.

"Yeah, things just haven't been right for a while. The connection's gone. I thought I told you."

I shake my head. "No," I say. "You didn't."

Leena shrugs and half-grins, but I can see the sadness in her face.

After a long day at work, I'm finally returning home. I can hear Cleo singing out of tune before I unlock the door.

"Hey," she says when she sees me. "How was your day?"

There's a strain to her voice, probably caused by our argument this morning.

"It was good."

I take off my jacket and walk to her, hugging my wife tightly. "Lewis!" She giggles. I squeeze her rear end playfully and she pushes me away, smiling. "What was that about?"

"I've just been thinking about how lucky I am to have you," I explain, kissing her hard on the mouth. Cleo puts her hands on my neck and I can feel her thin body press itself against me.

The oven timer goes off and Cleo pills herself away, laughing embarrassedly at our little love show. "Well that was a nice way to greet me," she says, holding a tray with a few chicken breasts on it. "But really, what's gotten into you?"

I sigh. "It's really nothing. But Roy and Leena are getting a divorce."

"Oh?" Cleo responds, raising her eyebrows. "That's terrible!"

"Yeah, I know. I was pretty surprised myself."

I hear Isla start to fuss from the living room and Cleo walks to get her. A second later, they come back in.

"Hi, baby! How was your day?" I coo, taking her from my wife.

"Difficult," Cleo responds. "Somebody's been fussy."

"Are you making things hard on Mama?" I ask my baby. She giggles and yawns.

"Do you know the reason?" Cleo asks from across the room.

"For what?"

"The divorce."

"Oh," I reply, "they just lost the spark, I guess."

Cleo doesn't respond, and we don't mention the word "divorce" one during dinner.

After putting Isla down, Cleo and I finally begin to get ready for bed. Just before I'm asleep, however, I hear her whisper, "I love you."

Leaning in, I kiss Cleo's forehead. "I love you, too."

 _WAAAA!WAAAA!_

The sound of Isla's crying jars me awake at some point in the night. I feel Cleo start to get up next to me.

"No,no," I say groggily, laying a hand on her shoulder. "I'll get her."


	33. Chapter 33

**Hey my wonderful readers!**

 **So sorry this chapter took so long, I've been having trouble getting it all down. I'll try to get the next one up this weekend! Anyway, one of my lovely reviewers asked a couple of questions in her comment. I'll answer the second one first; no, Percy is not a mermaid/man. I'll definitely make that more clear in the next chapter. And to answer her other question; the whole Bella plot will be coming soon. I have great plans for it but I did accidentally slip in her no-tail thing a little too early and then let it hang for a little too long. All my fault, guys, so sorry! Bella will be starring in my next chapter, and all the questions will be answered. Hope you enjoy this, and, as always, please review!**

 **DA**

Chapter 33- Rikki's POV

Hoisting my purse over my shoulder, I take Zane's hand. He smiles sideways at me and I swallow, more nervous than I've been in a long time. The office looks like any other doctor's but I know that this isn't just your average checkup. This is real therapy, the type you read about in books and are sure you'll never need.

I guess I never expected a fucking psychopath to ruin my life.

"Hey," Zane says, squeezing my hand. "It's gonna be okay. Better than okay, actually. It's gonna be great."

I nod, unconvinced, and follow him inside.

"Hi," Zane greets the receptionist. "Rikki Chadwick and Zane Bennett."

The kind-looking older women smiles and types our names into her computer. "Ah, yes, Dr. Gregory at 2:30. He should be ready in just a few minutes."

"Thank you," says Zane before sitting down in the waiting room. I follow him.

After a short while, a middle-aged man comes out from a doorway. He has light, brown hair that's going grey in a few spots and a big smile.

"Mr. and Mrs. Bennett?" He asks. I raise one eyebrow at Zane and he shrugs, red in the face.

"Right here," I say, and we stand. Dr. Gregory smiles at us happily and we follow him out of the room.

"So," he says, sitting in down again. "Zane, you said your wife- girlfriend, sorry- was experiencing a little more trouble than you are." I shoot Zane a look from the corner of my eye. He grins sheepishly and shrugs. "I have, therefore, arranged for you to be taken into another room with my apprentice, Lana."

A small, just-out-of-college looking girl with short, reddish hair and wide blue eyes is standing in the doorway holding a clipboard and smiling nervously. Her hair sticks out in many directions and she has on a blue sundress. I like the look of her and I'm not at all upset that Zane is going with her … he hasn't had a thing for redheads in a while.

"So, Rikki," Dr. G says after Zane and Lana are gone, "how are you. Your boyfriend said the two of you have been experiencing some separation anxiety after a recent trauma. Would you care to fill me in on some of the details? Not mandatory, of course."

"No," I say. "It's okay. I'll tell you about it."

It's just now that I understand what I'm about to do. I have never, _ever_ opened up to such a complete stranger. Cleo, Emma, and Bella took years to earn my trust. Zane even longer, and Lewis and Will know less about me then they think. But I can't keep hiding forever. Somethings have to come out.

"When my friends and I were sixteen years old, a girl moved into our town and joined our school. I can't reveal her name, so I'm going to call her … Zoe. Anyway, one of my friends, we'll call her Molly, was dating a boy at the time. He can be Jack. This new girl, Zoe, developed a crush on Jack, and after a long time- after Molly and Jack had broken up- Jack and Zoe started dating. My friends and I also had this very special gift that Zoe wanted, and soon enough she got it. She tried to be our friend and we were nice to her but after a while she got out of control. Molly- that's my friend- was also going through a very hard time in her life. Eventually she ran away from home and Jack went chasing after her. Molly and Jack got back together, and then, to top it off, Char- Zoe lost her gift."

Dr. G looks very confused. "What was this "gift"? Can you explain further?"

I try to find a way to explain it without giving up our secret. "Imagine that you were … a star track runner. We were all star track runners, and Zoe really wanted to be like that. So she became a star runner, too, but then in the end she broke her leg so badly that she wouldn't ever be able to run again."

Dr. G nods and smiles a little. "Usually my patients don't use so much code," he jokes.

"This is a pretty complicated story," I respond with a smirk. "Anyway, so after Zoe lost her gift and Jack broke up with her, she moved away again. But just recently, a little over a year ago, she came back into our lives. Zoe showed up at a frequent hang-out spot of ours with a sort of revenge plot. Molly and Jack, who are married now, were expecting a baby. Anyway, Zoe was even crazier than she had been when we were teenagers. She threatened to … break our legs so that we couldn't run anymore. She said our options were either that or to give her Molly's baby once it was born." Even to me the story sounds ridiculous. But how the hell am I supposed to explain this clearly and yet not reveal too much? I'm beginning to regret even starting to say anything. But I can't go back now. "After a while, as sort of a ransom, she kidnapped Zane, along with Jack and our other two friends' boyfriends. She kept Zane for two months."

"Why didn't you call the police right away?" Dr. G asks, his eyes wide and incredulous. Shit. Why _didn't_ we call the police? Because we didn't want her to expose us as star track runners? Jesus fucking Christ.

"Well, we did." I lie. "We asked them to keep it under wraps for our private benefit, but still, they couldn't find the boys. After two months, they were finally found and returned to us, and Ch- Zoe was taken care of."

There. That's the simplest, least suspicious story I can create that still gets my point across. Dr. G finishes writing it down and then looks across at me.

"So, what I gather is that a crazy women kidnapped your boyfriend and held him hostage for two months, therefore creating this intense fear inside of you that he is going to be taken again."

I nod.

"But it sounds to me like this all occurred over a year ago, and that Zoe has been arrested."

I nod again- that's more or less accurate based on my story.

"So then what I'm wondering is why you're still so afraid. May I ask if the two of you- Zane and you, I mean- ever discussed what happened to him while he was in captivity."

I shake my head silently. "We don't speak of it."

"Okay. I'm going to call Zane back here now, Rikki. If you're willing, I'd like you to ask him what happened."

I nod, but I'm terrified. This isn't where I wanted things to go. I don't need to know- I don't want to know!

Dr. G stands and retrieves Zane and Lana. After I take Zane aside and give him a quick briefing on my story, we return to the group.

"Rikki," Dr. G says, "is there anything you'd like to ask Zane?"

I'm sweating and shivering. _No,_ I think. _No, no, no._

"Yes. What happened, Zane, when Zoe took you?"

Zane opens his mouth, looks at the two therapists, and asks if they could leave the room. "I don't want to have to leave anything out," he says softly. Lana and Dr. G nod and leave.

Zane looks at the floor, his face red. "I never wanted to tell you, but I guess I have to now, huh?" he says quietly. I tongue is sandpaper.

"She took me the day … the day that I proposed to you. We were by the scenic cliffs and I had just asked the big question when she appeared."

"Charlotte, in one of her letter's, said that I turned you down," I whisper. "Is that true?"

Zane nods. It's barely perceptible.

"Zane," I begin, "if you think for a moment that I am having second thoughts, don't. I have no idea how in the world I could have said no to you. You are the love of my life and I want nothing more than to marry you- don't _ever_ doubt that."

Zane closes his eyes and I see some long-held tension drain away. He nods again. "Thank you."

There is a pause before he continues.

"She and that other girl, the Indian one. I didn't have a moment to think before I felt myself light up like a Christmas tree and I passed out.

When I woke up, I was in an apartment. It was small and dingey, and it smelled like too many people living together. That smell only got worse.

Charlotte had gagged me and handcuffed me to the bedpost. She would feed me three times a day and talk to me all the time, telling me all the ways she was going to hurt you and the others. She threatened to cut off your scales and make a purse out of them, she, she-" Zane's eyes are squeezed shut and he is shaking. I place one hand on his back and whisper, "It's okay, I'm here. I'm right here."

After calming, Zane continues. "The other girl, Angi, would slip me food and water at night. Then, after a couple of weeks, Ash came. He struggled in the beginning, the same way I did, but it wasn't long before he calmed down. While Angi was helping us, Ash filled me in on what was happening. He explained Charlotte's letter and I was so relieved that she had a plan. That she wasn't going to keep us forever. But that's when she started with the kissing.

Everyday, Charlotte would kiss us all over our bodies, like some sort of sick child who needed love. And after she did it, she would back away and shake her head. 'Not like Lewis,' she'd say. When Will came, she lied to him about Bella. 'Oh, no,' she'd say. 'The baby didn't make it. What a shame.' He would cry and lash out. Finally, on the night they brought Lewis, we knew it wasn't long. When Charlotte took us to Mako, and I saw you …"

Zane can't keep going. All I can do is hold him to my chest while he cries, and a new, sick feeling is rising in me. This will not be my last therapy session.


	34. Chapter 34

**This chapter isn't going to be all that long, it's more of a snapshot in Will and Bella's lives with the return of a certain character. Will this be bad or good? Who knows ...**

 **DA**

Chapter 34- Bella's POV

I open my eyes to the early morning light and sigh. What time is it? Before seven, at least.

Percy's small baby noises get my attention and I stand, the cool hardwood smooth beneath my feet. Taking a deep breath, I walk to his bassinet and lift up my little baby. Will is gone, probably diving already since it's Sunday.

"Hey, sweet pea. Good morning," I coo. Dressed only in a diaper, Percy looks as small and frail as ever. It's funny, in a way. Tiny, rail - thin Cleo delivered Isla at a healthy 9 pounds and 6 ounces,while I, who gained a lot of pregnancy weight, delivered Percy at only 5 pounds and a single ounce. Not that I'm still heavy; no, weeks of a hospital diet, most of which I couldn't keep down, helped me shed the weight quickly enough. Plus the stress …

Waking to the bathroom, I plug our tub and begun to let the water run, keeping it at a gentle, not-too-hot-not-too-cold temperature. After the bath is filled about six inches, I turn off the water and take off my clothes, putting Percy down for a second. Then I pick him back up, remove his diaper, and we both get in the warm water.

This bathing has become sort of a ritual of ours. I let him sit in my lap while he plays around in the water for a bit, watching as his tiny legs remain the same and feeling sick when mine do, too. It's been almost a month since surgery. And still nothing.

I want to keep telling myself that I'm recovering, that my body is too tired to change, but as the weeks go by it's becoming harder and harder. I haven't changed since Percy was born almost two months ago. And the constant fear that I never will again is taking it's toll on me.

Not that I haven't tried to do something about it; Lewis and I have done a ton of research together and I even tried sitting in the moonpool during the last full moon. Nothing.

After a couple of minutes of sitting silently, I pick Percy up again and gently towel-drying him, still undressed. My mood improves when he starts to giggle and I lean down and give him a raspberry. Suddenly, a familiar hand rubs my back and I turn.

"Hey," says Will. His hair is wet from his swim and he's wearing a pair of trunks.

"Hi," I say, smiling.

Will grins and pushes his face towards mine, pecking me. The he lifts Percy off of the changing table and swings him around, laughing.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" I ask. Will places Percy down again.

"Nothing," he responds. "I just want to play with my baby."

After putting Percy in our room, Will picks me up and swings me around. "Will!" I shriek, laughing. My boyfriend throws me down on our bed and smirks, leaning down and kissing my neck. I'm already naked and Will quickly removes his shorts. Just as we're really getting going, however, a knock on the door interrupts us. "Ugh," Will groans.

"It's okay," I say, sitting up. I quickly grab a shirt and and a pair of jean shorts. The knock again, more persistently this time. "I'm coming!" I shout.

Finally getting to the front door, I swing it open. "Hello?" I say, looking at the woman on the other side. I vaguely recognize the short blonde standing in front of me, but I can't place her face to a name. "Can I help you?" I ask.

"Bella?" The girl has blue eyes and a sharp face. She's wearing a green tank top and jean shorts, and the ends of her hair are a reddish color- she probably died it some time ago.

"Yeah," I respond. "I'm sorry, but I can't seem to-" as I'm talking, Will walks by.

"Bells, who was at the door?" he asks, coming over to me.

"Will?!" the girl shouts, grinning.

Will looks shocked, and then he's hugging her and repeating over and over again, "Sophie!"

"So, after a lot of traveling, I finally figured out what I want to do with my life," Sophie says, leaning back in our armchair. I just stare at her. After welcoming her, Sophie had quickly come into our home. Although she's only been here for a few minutes, she's already filled us in on all the details of her last six years. "So tell me about you," Sophie says. Her blonde hair is so different from the red I'd always known but I think this is it's natural color. After the whole incident on Mako, Will and Sophie haven't spoken. She left the Gold Coast to pursue her passions and, not counting a few quick calls here and there, she hasn't contacted anyone.

"What have you been doing? I can't believe you're still together!" says Sophie. I glance at Will, hoping he'll respond.

"Yeah," he says, taking my hand. "We've just been living out life together here. But how did you find us, Soph?"

"The phone book, silly."

I resist the urge to roll my eyes.

"So," Sophie continues, "I know this is all really abrupt, but I don't have a lot of money on my hands right now. I totally understand if this won't work, but if I could just stay with you guys for a short while, just until I get back on my feet, I would so appreciate it."

"Oh," I say, surprised. "Well, we'll have to talk about it."

Following me out of the room, I can almost see Will mentally preparing his argument. Before he can say anything, however, I exclaim, "I think it's a good idea."

"Wait," WIll says, "before you say no … wait, what?"

"I think it's a good idea," I repeat. "I want to be close to my sort-of sister-in-law. And Percy shouldn't be estranged from his aunt. So I think that, just for a little while, Sophie should stay with us."

Will looks shocked, and then suddenly he's hugging me. "Thank you, Bella!" he exclaims in my ear.

Laughing, I push him off of me. "Yeah, yeah, I'm great. Don't you think I know that?"

I hear Percy's small cried rise from our bedroom and go to get him. "I think you should go tell Sophie the good news," I say as I'm walking away. "And maybe, you know, mention the fact that she has a nephew."

Will smiles and turns the other direction, and just as I'm walking back towards the living room I pick up his and Sophie's conversation.

"... and so I think, since you're going to be living here, that you should know it'll be more than just the three of us. You see, Bella and I .."

I walk in. Percy, happy that I'm bouncing him, giggles and smiles. I see Sophie's head turn and then she sees him.

"Oh my god," she whispers. "I'm an aunt?"

I nod, smiling. Sophie gets up and walks to me, and I slide Percy into her arms.

"Oh my god!"

Percy suddenly gets a funny look on his face. With that, held in his newly-discovered aunt's arms, a loud noise sounds and I see Percy's diaper sag, a horrible smell rising in the air. The perfect way to greet family.

 **Haha, I guess it wasn't so short! Anyway, I looked up pictures of the actress who plays Sophie and her natural hair color is blonde, so that's what I went with. Hope you like it!**


	35. Chapter 35

**Does anyone know what book Emma was reading?**

 **DA**

Chapter 35- Emma's POV

Bored, I open up a book of mine, turning to a random page. It's something that I haven't really read since I was a teenager but it was a total favorite of mine back then and so why not give it a shot?

 _And then we were kissing. The profoundness of our lips touching and our tongues pressing against each other and my hand cupping her perfect white cheek barred any thought or right or wrong or any memory of why I had followed her there in the first place._

I shut the book and put it down. Too lovey-dovey- this is the type of stuff that bums me out. I haven't heard from Ash in a month.

 _Whatever,_ I think. _Feeling sorry for yourself won't help anything. You need to be productive._

Feeling reassured, I stand up and walk to my bedroom. I decide I'll run to the gym- I haven't been in a couple of days. I grab some athletic clothes and then, picking up my purse, leave the apartment. On my way out, I bump into a short blonde I've never seen before.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I say, stepping aside so she can pass.

"No problem. I'm Sophie- do you live in this building?" the girl asks.

"Yes," I respond. "I'm Emma. How about you? I haven't seen you before."

"Oh, I just moved in. I'm staying with the family in 527."

I raise my eyebrows. "Oh," I say, "I know them. Will and Bella, right? We're really close."

"Yeah," Sophie responds. She smiles at me, but there's something unnerving about her abrupt manner. "So you must know Cleo and Rikki, then."

"I do," I say. How would she know?

"We were friends when they were in high school. Will, my brother, and I moved here during his senior year."

"Will's your brother?"

"Mmhmm. Well, I should get going. It's been great meeting you."

With that, Sophie turns and walks away. I turn the other way and begin to walk to my car, thinking.

Rikki and Cleo filled me in on everything that happened during the year that I was away as soon as I returned from my travels, and they certainly mentioned Will's sister. This must be the same girl who blew up the moonpool with Ryan to find the crystals on Mako. I definitely have to be careful around her. I wonder why Bella is letting her stay with them? I'll have to ask when I get back.

Finally getting to my car, I hop in, throwing my keys bag onto the passenger's seat. Unlike the other girls, who don't care about their transportation- Rikki and Zane own a blue subaru wagon, Cleo and Lewis drive a black Holden hatchback, and Bella and Will don't even have a car- I take great pride in mine. After months of considering, I purchased a pink convertible punch buggy. I swear to god, that car is my baby.

Anyway, now I turn on a song and arrive at the gym in no time. Claiming my favorite treadmill, I turn on and begin to run, my blonde ponytail bouncing. A audio-documentary is playing in my ears and I begin breath more heavily as the time goes on. Finally, after about half an hour, I turn the machine off and step down. Just as I'm walking away, however, one of my shoelaces gets caught in something and I'm sent flying down.

"Shit," I say from the ground, rubbing my scraped knee. I'm beginning to gather up my things when somebody else crouches down next to me.

"Thank you," I say when he hands me my chapstick.

"Don't worry about it."

Something about the voice makes me look up. Smiling at me is a young man about my own age with tan skin and wild dirty blonde curls. Something in his brown eyes and kind face look familiar.

"Oh," I say, realizing he's holding out my keys for me to take. "Really, thank you."

"Of course," the man says, grinning.

I can't help myself from asking, "Do I … do I know you from somewhere?"

"Can't say that you do," he replies. "What's your name?"

"Emma. Emma Gilbert."

Suddenly the look on his face changes and he stands. I follow the example.

"Emma! Oh, jeez, I haven't seen you since we were kids! It's Byron!"

I stare at him. "Byron? Oh my god! That's so weird! I haven't seen you since we were fifteen!"

Byron smiles and nods. I blush, remembering my crush on him and the few kisses that we shared.

"What have you been up to?" I ask.

"Oh, everything! I went over to Hawaii to pursue my surfing- man, the waves there are insane- and since then I've just been bouncing around from place to place. What about you?"

"I went traveling around the world with my family when I was seventeen, and then, after Uni, I've just been here with the girls."

"Oh, Rikki and Cleo? Are the three of you still tight?"

"Oh yeah. And Cleo and Lewis are actually married with a daughter now, and Rikki and Zane are engaged."

"Crazy." Byron says, shaking his head. "And I assume you have a boyfriend, too, right?"

I blush again. "No, actually," I say.

Byron perks up and smiles. "Excellent. Here, let me put your number in your phone, we should meet up."

"Totally," I agree. "Here."

I hand him my phone and we exchange numbers.

"Great," Byron says. "I've got to go, but I'll definitely call you," he says.

"Okay, awesome!" I respond cheerily. _Ew,_ I think, _who says "awesome" anymore?_

"Awesome," Byron responds. I grin.

Driving home, I realize that reading actually sounds pretty good …


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 35- Kim's POV

Casey leafs through an issue of _Madison,_ a big smile on her face. "Look at her," she says, pointing at a pretty blonde girl who looks impossibly thin and as has a fierce face. I doubtfully glance and then put down the donut I'd been eating. Ever since my doctor told me that I was underweight, I've been trying to eat more and take weight-gain pills. This has been working, but I don't know if I quite like it. I guess I expected my breasts to get bigger and my hips to fill out, not a pudgy belly and a bad body-image.

I've stopped taking my weight-gain pills, I'm back in a healthy range. I hope my body will calm down now.

Anyway, I smile at Casey and she rolls over so she's closer to me. We're her room. "So," she says, looking at me upside down, "what do you want?"

I smile and raise my eyebrows. "What what do I want?" I ask.

"A boy or a girl?"

The smile falls from my face, and I kind of bite my lip. I don't know why, but everytime Casey brings up the baby I get a weird feeling in my stomach. It's reminds me of when I used to go to summer camp as a kid.

I'd tell everyone I was so excited, and I knew that I was supposed to be excited, but really I was just sick with worry and afraid to leave home. But I know I'll get over this thing with the baby.

"I don't know what I want," I reply after a moment of thinking. "Either, I guess."

"I want a girl," Casey says. She looks at me and grins, then pushes herself up so we're face to face. "I guess I'm naturally inclined to want a girl," she giggles, and then kisses me. I smile against her lips and put my hands on her small, tight waist. She breaths in through her nose and pulls away, quietly saying, "What should we name her or him?"

Again I feel a twinge of annoyance, but I really consider it this time, trying to act cool. "I like Alice for a girl," I say honestly, pushing some of my short blonde hair behind my ear. "And maybe Parker for a boy."

"Yeah," Casey says, "those are cute. Do you like Fiona? I always liked that, maybe for a middle name."

"Alice Fiona … Fiona Alice …" I test the names in my mouth.

"You know," Casey adds, "since we're adopting, we can chose what … type of baby we want."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I … I don't want to be weird, I guess, Kimmy, but we do get the chance to pick where we want the baby to be from and stuff."

"Oh." I look at Casey and raise my eyebrows. "Well does it matter to you?"

"No," she replies, "not really. But it's fun to talk about."

Although I didn't agree, I didn't say anything.

...

I'm sitting at my kitchen island, reading a book and eating a bowl of cereal. "Hello, darlin'" says Dad as he walks by.

"Hey Dad."

"Cleo and Lewis are coming over for dinner tonight, sweetie. Do you want to make a dessert?"

"Will Isla be there?"

"Of course."

I hop off my stool and walk towards the cabinet. "Sure," I say, "I'll make a cake. Isla's getting big, isn't she?"

"Yeah," Dad responds. "I still can't believe I'm a grandpa! And I definitely can't belive that the five-year-old who used to come to my house every Sunday when both his parents had work is now the father of my grandchild."

I smile while taking out flour and sugar. "I know," I respond, "it is still pretty weird to be related to _Lewis!_ He used to give me piggy back rides and drive me to my friend's houses on the way out with Cleo."

Dad laughs a little. Suddenly Sam walks in and pats my back.

"I remember," she says, "the first time I met Lewis. He asked me if I was your father's sister and then choked on his drink when I said I was his fiance. 'Y-you're Sam?' he asked. Even so, I can't imagine a better husband for Cleo or a better father for Isla."

I nod and continue to mix up ingredients for my cake.

...

Pulling the golden-brown cake out of the oven, I quickly set it down to cool. Suddenly the doorbell rings. "I'll get it!" I shout.

When I open the door, Cleo is holding Isla on the front step, Lewis behind them. "Hey guys," I say, stepping aside, "come in."

"Hi Kimmy," Cleo responds. She puts Isla down and hugs me, and then Dad and Sam as they walk in. Sam and Lewis hug, and the he and Dad shake hands.

"How's my little girl?" Dad asks, lifting Isla. She giggles and kicks her legs.

I smile at Cleo as she watches them, happy that everything has turned out so well for her.

After a long dinner, Cleo and Lewis say that they're going to go put Isla down. Cleo's old room has been transformed into a makeshift nursery for the times when Isla is over, and so they go upstairs and I sit with Sam and Dad at the table, finishing my cake.

"Oh," Dad says, "they left her blanket down here. Kimmy, why don't you run it upstairs?"

Standing, I take the blanket and head upstairs. When I open the door, however, I find Lewis laying on the ground, Cleo on top of him and straddling him with her legs, her shirt cast aside. They're making out. I assume Isla is in the crib.

"Oh!" I say, surprised and grossed out. I toss the blanket at them and slam the door, a blush creeping across my face.

I now understand what Cleo felt like walking in on me and Casey. And it is not a fun thing.

Ugh.

I'm still thinking about it.

WHY!


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37- Cleo's POV

Sitting on the edge of my bathtub, my feet planted firmly on the rug, I stretch my arms. Then I pick Isla up from where she had been crawling around on the bathmat and lower both her and myself into the warm water. After exactly ten seconds, the two of us change. Isla giggles and moves her tail around, splashing me. "Hey," I laugh, turning her to face me.

Still smiling, Isla hits the water with her hands. I sputter as some of it hits me in the face. "Oh," I say, "now you're in for it." Quickly, I put my lips against Isla's tummy and give her a raspberry. She squeals with laughter.

"Hey," Lewis says, knocking on the door.

"Come in!" I respond, and he does.

"Woah," laughs Lewis, "what's going on in here?"

"Somebody likes splashing her Mama," I say, mock-glaring at Isla. She smiles and lifts up her arms, a signal that she wants Lewis to hold her.

"No," Lewis says, "I can't pick you up, yet, baby, it's bathtime."

Isla pushes her arms up more persistently.

"Come on, sweetie," I say, grabbing some baby shampoo and squirting some onto her head.

Isla screams, apparently not wanting to have a bath right now. She squirms to get away from me, her face red and wet from tears. "Isla," I say, sternly. "Stop that this second."

Contrary to my direction, Isla continues to wail, her cried getting louder by the second. Lewis tries to help, but his coming near just makes her angrier. From the apartment next door, we hear our neighbor shout, "Keep it down in there!"

I roll my eyes at Lewis. "We need to settle on a house, and soon," I say.

"Well, speaking of that …" Lewis trails off and grins sheepishly at me.

"What?" I ask.

"Get Isla dry," he responds, "and I'll show you."

Lewis leaves the bathroom and I quickly finish washing Isla and then lift her over the side of the bathtub and towel-her until she turns human again. Finally happy, my baby begins to crawl around the fuzzy rug and chews on her teething ring.

I drain the tub and then dry myself off with the hairdryer. Once I change, I get up and put on a blue tanktop and a pair of jean shorts, swiftly pulling my hair into a ponytail and rubbing lotion on my legs. "Lewis!" I call, walking out of the steamy bathroom with Isla in my arms.

"I'm in the kitchen!" he responds, and I go.

"What's up?" I ask upon entering.

"Well, you were talking about closing in on a house. So the other day, I was driving around town to go the store when I passed a home for sale that was having an open house that day. I stopped in, and, well … it seemed perfect. Affordable, not too small, has a nursery. I really think it could be the one."

I beam, really excited. I've been looking forward to buying a house for our family for a while now. "Can we go see it?" I ask Lewis.

"Now?" he asks. I grin.

"Why not?" I reply, "I'm excited. We can call Emma to babysit."

Lewis raises his eyebrows. "I don't know if they're showing right now," he says.

"Call the realtor. You got their number, right?"

Lewis nods and reaches in his pocket to pull out his phone, dialing the number.

I go to get Isla dressed while he's on the phone.

"Wouldn't you like to have your own house?" I coo to her, pulling a purple short sleeve over her head and then putting a white pair of leggings on her chubby legs. "A big backyard, a nice bedroom, a kitchen."

I hear Lewis approaching. "Yes … okay … well thank you so much … okay, bye."

"Good news?" I ask.

Lewis nods. "The realtor- Areesha- has agreed to show us the house in half an hour."

I beam. "Great, I'll call Em."

A couple of minutes later, I dial Emma's number. She picks up after a few rings.

"Hello?" she says from the other side.

"Hey, Em. Lewis and I are going to a house showing. Could you watch Isla?"

"I'm so sorry, Cleo, but I'm actually busy today."

"That's no problem," I say, unfazed. "What are you up to?"

"I have a date."

"Byron again?"

I that can tell Emma is smiling as she responds, "Yeah."

"Awesome. Well have fun."

"Thanks, Cleo. Bye."

"Bye." I hang up the phone.

"Lewis, Emma can't babysit." I call. Lewis comes into the room and frowns.

"Should we call Bella?" he asks.

"She has enough on her hands with Percy and Sophie," I roll my eyes at the girl's name, still unhappy that she's back in our lives. "Rikki?"

Lewis looks unsure. "I don't know if she'd be the best babysitter."

I shrug. "Let's give her a shot. She really has matured."

Agreeing, Lewis nods. I call the curly-headed blonde's number.

"Hello?"

"Hey Rikki. Lewis and I are going to check out a house. Can you watch Isla while we're gone? It wouldn't be for more than a couple of hours."

"I don't know, Cleo … I've never babysat before," Rikki responds unsurely.

"Rikki, you're a grown woman. I'm sure you can handle our one-year-old for a few hours."

I hear her sigh on the other end. "Fine," Rikki replies. "But I'm coming to your place. I'm not having spit up on my furniture."

"Great," I say happily. "Come over in a minute."

I hang up with Rikki and then, after she arrives, Lewis and I get in our car.

A short drive later, Lewis pulls over in front of a small, blue house. The door is painted green and the front yard has flowers blooming everywhere.

"Here we are!" Lewis says. I grin at him and then get out.

"Ah, Mr. and Mrs. McCartney," says a woman approaching us. She is short, with wild brown curls. Her deeply tanned skin and smiling eyes make me like her immediately. "I'm Areesha."

After a long while of touring the house, I know this is the one. It's perfect in every way.


	38. Chapter 38

**Happy thanksgiving!**

 **Sorry for not updating recently but I've been pretty busy. Anyway, I'm trying to balance the scales with POVs and I think I'm going to go in this order from now on: Cleo, Lewis, Rikki, Bella, Emma, Kim. I also have chapters 38-51 planned already so trust that I'm not going to drop this story anytime soon!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **DA**

Chapter 38- Lewis's POV

Quietly, I slip into my work clothes, trying not to wake Cleo. Unfortunately, however, she sleepily stretches and blinks open her eyes.

"Good morning," she says when she sees me. I grin and walk to the bed, leaning down and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Good morning, homeowner," I joke. Cleo sits upright, smiling, and looks around. We're in our new bedroom in our new house and everything feels perfect.

From the baby monitor, I hear Isla make small noises, indicating that she is awake. Like clockwork, she begins to whimper and then cry within the minute. "I'll get her," Cleo says, and then walks out of the room. I watch her, infatuated.

After a minute, Cleo comes back in, holding a tired Isla. Our daughter clings to her, holding her shirt tightly and hiding her face when I come over. "Aw," Cleo giggles, "somebody's grumpy."

I smile and kiss the back of Isla's head, knowing that when the little girl gets in a mood like this, the only person she'll respond to is her mama.

"Oof," says Cleo, shifting our baby, "you're getting heavy, sweetie pie. You know, Lewis," I perk up when she says my name, "soon she'll be a year old."

I shake my head, grinning. It's crazy. It feels like only yesterday she was a bald, red-faced newborn who couldn't support her own head. Now she's got beautiful blonde curls and green-brown eyes and a whole personality.

"I know," I finally reply, "it's insane."

Cleo bounces Isla and the, when the little girl begins to tear up, says, "I'm going to go feed her."

My girls walk out of the room and I smile and finish getting ready for work. Walking into the kitchen, I grab a banana and head out. "Bye, sweetie," I say to Cleo, who is unsuccessfully trying to get Isla to eat her mashed peaches. "Bye!" she calls back.

A short while later, I arrive at work.

"Lewis!" I hear, and I turn to see Leena, my coworker, walking over. "Hey, wait up!"

I stand still and let her catch up to me. "Hey, so I got the forms signed from Sam. Now all we need to do it head over to the marine park and get them signed by the owner and the head dolphin trainer," she explains. We've been trying to get clearance to do some observations on the dolphins in the marine park and the differences between those who live in pools with multiple dolphins and those who live alone. I've met the owner of the marine park and she seems nice, I'm sure she'll sign, and as for the head dolphin trainer, well … I know her very well. Cleo got the job two years ago, and, although she's the only trainer they've ever had that doesn't get in the water, she's also the best they've ever had.

"Great!" I say. "Now we can finally get started on our experiment!"

Leena smiles at me and I smile back. "So," she says, "how's the family?"

"Oh, they're great! Isla is almost one, which I can barely believe, and Cleo is going back to work next week. My parents are coming to visit in a month or two, as well. What about you?"

"I'm doing pretty well. My sister is in town and she's been staying with me, which is fun."

I smile, a bit awkward. I can remember a time when Leena would have mentioned Roy in regards to her family. I suddenly think of something.

"Hey," I say, "do you want to come to my place this Friday? Cleo and I are having a housewarming party, and we'd love to have you."

Leena nods. "It sounds fun. Who'll be there?"

"Oh, Don and Sam- my in laws- Cleo's sister Kim and her girlfriend Casey, and our friends Bella and Will and their son Percy, Rikki and Zane, and Emma and her new boyfriend Byron. I think you've met most of them."

Again, Leena nods. "I'll check my calendar, but I'd love to go. Can I get back to you?"

"Of course."

The rest of the day passes quickly, and by six in the evening I'm excitedly driving to my new home.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39- Rikki's POV

Sitting at home, I leaf through a wedding magazine and think about why these things have to be such a big deal. Suddenly, the door opens and Zane comes in, smiling at me. I glance at the clock. He's a couple of minutes late.

I barely noticed, really.

Anyway, Zane walks to me ands sits down. "Hey," he says, kissing the side of my head, "what are you looking at?"

"Just wedding stuff," I respond vaguely. "It's all so fancy!"

Zane begins to look with me, pointing out things that he likes. I smile, enjoying the company.

After a while, I look at the clock again. It's almost time for my appointment with Dr. G. "I should get going," I say, standing and stretching.

Zane stands with me. "Okay," he says, "have fun. And don't forget that we have Lewis and Cleo's housewarming later."

I nod and head out. Soon enough, I'm at the therapist's.

"Ah, Rikki," Dr. G says when he walks out. I follow him into his office and we begin.

"So," Dr. G starts, "this week I'm going to ask you some questions about your childhood. Is that okay?"

I cringe a little but nod. I've learned that this stuff is necessary.

"Great. Rikki, what are your parents like?"

I consider the question. "Well," I say, "my dad is great. He taught me everything I know. How to work hard. How to have a thick skin. How to stand up for yourself. Not to mention everything that has to do with bikes."

"Bicycles?"

"Motorcycles."

"Ah. I see. What about your mother?"

A stare at him without responding for a few minutes. "My mother … she left when I was little. I don't like to talk about it."

I remember the day that my mom left.

 _"Terry!" Mom shouted, looking for my father. I stared at her through the window, on my toes outside the trailer. My father walked in._

 _"Terry, did you pay the bills? Did you pay anything? I'm on the phone with the owner of this RV park right now! He says we're way behind!" Mom's bleached hair was damp and matted down and cigarette smoke swirled around her._

 _"Look, Mal, I'm sorry, but I just didn't have the money! Give me the phone, I'll talk to Herb. He likes me."_

 _I couldn't see very well, so I ran and grabbed an overturned bin that had once contained car parts. As I walked towards it, however, I heard the volume of their yelling increase, and then the door slam. Mom came storming out, throwing her cigarette down and stomping it out with her foot. She got into our car, and threw a suitcase into the passenger's seat. I stared at her, holding the empty bin and wondering what was in the suitcase, and then she saw me. My mother's blue eyes locked onto mine, and she opened her mouth, looking startled, as if she'd forgotten about me. Some of her lipstick was smudged, and she was about to say something. But then she didn't. She just put the car in drive and left._

At first, we were both sure she'd come back. But then she didn't. And she never did.

Dr. G nods, writing something down on his clipboard. "Okay, that's fine. I want you to think about it, though, okay? Maybe next week you'll be ready."

I doubt it.

I never speak of my mother.

She makes me sick.


	40. Chapter 40

**Guys! I am so sorry that everything's been taking so long! But, don't worry, this chapter is going to be long and (hopefully) good! Merry almost Christmas! XO**

 **DA**

Chapter 40- Bella's POV

"Bella … Bella …. Bella!"

My name drifts in and out of my mind until I hear it clearly cut through my dream with a sharp ring. I open my eyes slowly. Sophie. What does she want?

"Oh, Bella, finally. Percy is crying like no tomorrow. Please, can you get him to stop? It's driving me crazy!" Sophie's loud voice, paired with Percy's screams, ring through my ears. Great way to wake up.

I quickly rise and walk to my baby's cradle. "Hi, sweetie," I say, lifting him out gently. "What's the matter?"

"Check his diaper. It reeks down there," Sophie says from behind me. I can hear the sneer in her voice and roll my eyes.

"Shh," I coo, checking his diaper as suggested, "it's okay."

Sophie's right; Percy's diaper is full. I frown and walk him to the changing table.

"Alright, Bella, I'm going to go for a run," says Sophie. I hear her pick up some things and open the door. "I'll be back soon. Good luck with stinky."

I bite my tongue, trying not to snap at the girl. _She's Will's sister,_ I remind myself. _I wonder how mad he would be if she did mysteriously go missing, though …_

Shaking my head, I smile at Percy, who has quieted down. Wiping a little tear off his soft face, I lift him. "Aw," I say, checking one last time that his diaper is secure, "there we go, little man. You're all good."

I feel his sweaty fingers curls around my hair as my baby whimpers over my shoulder. He's so soft and warm. I breathe in his perfect little smell and give the side of his head a kiss. "What a good boy," I say, shifting him a little so we're facing each other, "you know what, Perc? You and Daddy are my favorite people in the whole world."

Blinking his big eyes, Percy suddenly let out a giggle and began to suck on his fist. I laughed and put him down on the changing table again, leaning down and giving him raspberry. Percy squealed and I smiled, thinking that, even if things continued just like this and didn't get better, I might just be okay. But then I begin to think about how wonderful it always felt to go on those long, long swims with Cleo, Rikki, and Emma. And all the things I've seen underwater- things I'll never see again.

I mean, I know that Rikki said I might just be tired.

But Percy is three and a half months old. I just can't buy that it's been taking me three and a half months to recover. All of this running through my head, I walk over to the sink and stick my hands under the water. _One, two, three,_ I think, feeling tears build up inside my eyes, _four, five, six,_ "Come on," I whisper, _seven, eight, nine,_ "Come on!", _ten._ I wait, almost prey for the tingley feeling of transformation, but nothing comes. Angrily, I stick my fists into my eyes until I don't feel like crying. God, these hormones really are out of control. I've never felt the need to cry so often. Anyway, at this moment, the door opens. I turn quickly, hoping that I look okay.

"Hey," Will says, coming inside.

I give him a small smile. "Hi."

Will grins at me and then goes to the fridge. "I'm starved," he says, "what's for breakfast?"

"Oh, I didn't make anything …"

"Yeah, I suspected. I was just kidding around, anyway. So, what did you guys eat?"

I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. "Baby food for Perc, nothing for me."

Will walks over. "Hey," he says, wrapping his arms around my waist, "I know you're super-mom, but you've gotta eat, too. Here, I'll make us something. You just lie down."

I walk to the couch, but, as soon, as I'm sitting, Percy begins to whimper. I stand up again.

"I've got him," Will says, but he can't really leave the pancakes he's flipping.

"No, you cook. I'll see what's wrong," I say, lifting him out of his crib.

Percy calms as soon as he's in my arms. "Aw," I say quietly, "were you lonely, baby?"

"Where's Sophie?"

"She's out running. And, Will, can you talk to her for me?"

"About what?"

"Well, she's kind of pushy about Percy. Like, the minute he starts crying, she's upset with me for not getting him. And she always calls him things like 'stinky' and 'loudmouth.' It's kind of annoying," I respond, bouncing Percy in my lap.

"I'm sure she's just kidding, love," says Will from the kitchen.

"I don't know. Either way, it bothers me. Could you please just ask her to stop?"

"Why don't you just ask her? It's between you two."

"Well," I start, adjusting Percy's shirt and wiggling my eyebrows at him, "she already hates me."

Will doesn't respond, and so I look up. He's staring into the pancake batter with a furrowed brow. "Will?" I say. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay, Bells, but, to be honest … when you say things like that, it bothers _me."_

I stare at him. "I'm sorry," I eventually say. "I didn't know."

I can tell that Will is trying to figure out a way to explain to me what's wrong without hurting my feelings or sounding rude or insensitive. "It's just," he finally begins, "I know you and Sophie have had issues in the past, but she's my sister. And I really want you two to get along. And when you say things like 'she hates me,' I don't know … it just sounds like you're holding onto old stuff. And I know Sophie could be better to you, and I'll definitely talk about it with her, but I just don't think you're making it better by staying in the mindset that she hates you. Sophie really is trying, I know she is. I know her. But I'm her little brother, and, not to be rude, but you really didn't get off to a great start with her when we were kids. I'm not blaming you. I'm just trying to ask you to not assume that she hates you, or anything like that, because it would really mean a lot to me if you guys could work things out, and that kind of thinking is counter productive."

I just look at my boyfriend. He seems really nervous that he's offended me. But, to be honest, I'm really happy.

I know that one of the main issues in relationships is not being able to communicate. It's often the man who doesn't know how to tell the woman what he is feeling, and, luckily, Will is not one of these men. He just proved to me that, if something's bothering him about me, he can address the subject without being disrespectful and explain what's wrong.

"I think that's fair," I say, standing with Percy. "And I really appreciate you telling me, especially the way that you did."

Will lets out a sigh and closes his eyes, looking incredibly relieved. "Great," he says, flipping the last couple of pancakes onto our plates. "I was worried you'd be upset."

I smile at him and we sit down, but not until Percy is in his crib. "How could I be upset with that? That was really great, Will."

My boyfriend grins at me and we eat quietly until suddenly he stands. I watch him a little suspiciously and begin to shrink away as he comes towards me. "Will-" I say, trying to avoid his tickling fingers, "Will, stop!"

Quickly, though, he finds my waist and begins to make me cry with laughter. "Stop," I gasp, "stop!"

I get up out of my chair and run into our bedroom, shutting the door behind me. "Hey, let me in," Will calls from the other side.

"No!" I shout back playfully.

"Come on, I promise to be nice. _Really_ nice."

I blush and open the door a crack. "How nice?" I say through the door.

"So nice that we might have another little baby to deal with if we're not careful," Will jokes.

I raise my eyebrows and shake my head. "Don't get any ideas, Benjamin," I warn. He grins and I open the door the rest of the way, allowing him to wrap his arms around my waist and lean towards my lips.

…

A while later, while I'm curled up next to my boyfriend and covered in sweat, I hear a knock at our door. "Ugh," Will says, "who is that?"

"What time is it?"

"Around noon."

"Probably the girls, then. I forgot they were coming over." I stand and pull on my underthings, a pair of loose, cotton shorts and a blue tanktop. Will stands and dresses, too.

Quickly walking to the door, I let them in. Cleo, Lewis, Rikki, Zane and Emma all come, greeting me with smiles and hugs. Cleo is holding Isla.

"I'm sorry," she explains. "The sitter canceled last minute. I tried to call, but there was no answer."

"No worries," I say, taking Isla. "Hi, sweetie. How's my favorite girl?" Isla babbles at me and I walk set her down on our rug, in the same area where Percy likes to sit and play. Speak of the devil, I hear Percy begin to whine from the nursery. I quickly grab him and set him beside Isla.

Will walks out, looking tired. I notice a couple of bruises and a rather large hickey on his neck and blush, hoping the others don't see them or notice his messy hair. I can tell by their smiles that the girls, at least, do.

"Hey, everyone," he says, exchanging a brief handshake with Zane and Lewis. He gets a head nod from Rikki and a kiss on the cheek from Cleo. We sit down.

After a long while of light, airy talk, Cleo looks at me. "So," she says, "is Sophie still here?"

"Yes," I begin, but I'm cut off by Emma.

"Who's Sophie?" she asks. Then she realizes she's interrupted and blushed a deep red. "Oh! I'm so sorry, Bella, I-"

"It's no problem," I say, and mean it.

Looking relieved, Emma continues, "Is Sophie the one that blew up Mako with that scientist guy? The redhead? You showed me pictures."

"Yes," Rikki says, "and she's Will's sister. And she's blonde now."

Emma has a strange look on her face. "A blonde Sophie? I think I ran into her in the building, actually …"

I nod. "Probably. But, anyway, guys, yes she's still here. And she's actually mellowed out quite a bit. I haven't had a problem with her."

Will takes my hand and squeezes it gratefully. I smile at him.

"Wait," Emma begins, "does she know about …?"

I shake my head no. "It's been pretty easy to hide, as you might imagine," I say quietly. The room grows silent.

"Oh, Bella," Cleo eventually says, kneeling to hug me. I'm surprised, but I appreciate it. I hug her back lightly. "I know this must be hard for you," she whispers in my ear.

"You know what?" I say, pulling away. "I think I'm actually okay."

The group smiles at me. Suddenly, the door opens. "Hey, anyone- oh. Hello, guys," says Sophie, seeing the large group of people in the room. She gives an awkward grin.

"Hey, Sophie," Cleo says. I notice that Rikki is holding Zane's hand so tightly his fingers have turned white.

"We were actually just leaving," says Lewis, lifting Isla. Zane puts his arm around Rikki and whispers something in her ear. Her grip relaxes a little.

Everyone begins to get up. Sophie steps aside from the door and smiles at Cleo and Lewis as they leave. "Beautiful child," she says, referring to Isla.

"Thank you," Cleo says pleasantly.

"It was good seeing you," Lewis says as he closes the door behind them. Rikki and Zane head out next.

"Rikki," Sophie says, "Zane." They all stare uncomfortably at each other for a few seconds. "I hear you're getting married," Sophie eventually concludes.

"Yes," Zane affirms.

They begin to leave, when Sophie stops them. "Wait," she calls, "wait! Okay, I know this is way too late and probably doesn't make up for anything, but I just want to apologize for what I did when we were kids. I am _so_ sorry. I think about it everyday, and, if I could go back, I would change everything. And I wish you many happy years together."

Sophie seems sincere, and, shockingly, Rikki reaches out and puts one hand on her shoulder. "I forgive you," she says, and I widen my eyes. Rikki? Forgive?

"Really?" Sophie says, her eyes shining.

"Yes," says Rikki, turning to look at Zane. "Everyone deserves a second chance."

He grins at her and they walk out. Sophie looks like she's just been granted a miracle.

"Wow," I say as I walk into the kitchen. Will goes to our bedroom and Sophie follows me. "That was really something."

"I know," says Sophie, sitting. "I've been so scared to come back here … all these years … and now she's forgiven me. She really has."

Suddenly Sophie turns to look at me. "And, Bella … I wanted to apologize to you, too. I know that, when we were kids, I wasn't really supportive of you and Will's relationship. And, to be honest, I was kind of a bitch to you. And I really am so sorry. He loves you so much, and you have such a wonderful child. What more could I ask for my little my brother? And so I really am so sorry."

I look at her, holding a glass of water. "You know what?" I say, "I forgive you, too. Rikki and Will are right. I'm not going to hold onto past stuff anymore. I hope we can become friends." I put my water down on the counter.

Sophie closes her eyes and grins. I smile, too. And, suddenly, something inside of me clicks.

I have a wonderful boy in my life whom I love. We have a child. I have great friends. I'm healthy. And now the only enemy who I've ever had and I have resolved our differences. For the first time in a long time, I feel whole.

Still smiling, I reach back to grab my water and it spills, getting all over me.

"Oh!" I exclaim, reaching to get some paper towels. I begin to sop it up, and Sophie comes to help. "Really," I say, "it's okay-"

Suddenly, I'm seized by a constricting feeling in my legs. I struggle to breath and then I'm on the ground. When I open my eyes, Sophie is staring down at me with wide, frightened eyes.

"Will!" she screams. "Get out here!"

I don't understand her concern until I look down. Where my legs should be, there is a long, sparkling orange tail.

 **Whew! Hope you liked it!**

 **DA**


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41- Emma's POV

"Yeah, and, so, after I got home, I was pretty surprised to meet Bella. But we're really good friends now. I'm almost as close with her as I am with Rikki and Cleo," I tell Byron. He's sitting across from me at the restaurant we're at. This is our fourteenth time seeing each other and, I have to admit, things are going really well.

"That's awesome," Byron responds. "Bella does seem great. And, man, Percy is one cute kid."

I nod and sip my drink. "So," I eventually continue, "how are you? What have you been up to?"

"Well, I'm looking into my surfing career still. I think I found a pretty legit sponsor, though, so things are certainly looking up," Byron tells me. "Otherwise, I'm just coasting. I'm hanging out with a pretty girl, and I think things are going great."

I smile at him, a little miffed at the term "hanging out" but not too much.

"Byron," I say, reaching across the table and taking his hand, "I think things are going well, too. And, if you're open to it, I was wondering if you wanted to, I don't know, make things official?" I ask, hopeful.

Byron looks at me with raised eyebrows. "What, like go exclusive?"

"Yeah," I responds.

Considering this, Byron nods. "Sure," he says, "why not?"

I smile. "Okay, great. I'm really excited."

Byron grins back at me and then begins to speak. "Hey," he says, "you wanna grab the check and get out of here?"

I nod, open to it. Soon enough, we're back at my place.

"So," Byron says, "this is where you live. It's really nice."

I smile and nod, looking around at my well-decorated apartment. "It's really convenient, too, since Rikki and Bella live here. Cleo used to live with us here, but, since they had Isla, she and Lewis decided to get a house. It isn't far away, though."

"Isn't it weird to think of people our age having kids and a house and getting married and stuff?" Byron asks, leaning back on the couch.

"I guess. I mean, Cleo and Lewis are just _so_ in love. Their getting married and having Isla wasn't really shocking. And Bella and Will are … they're the perfect parents, I guess. Rikki and Zane absolutely _need_ each other. So, for me, it's hard to imagine any of them going in different directions. But I can't imagine myself being in any of their positions."

Byron nods. "Yeah," he says, "but does it ever bother you? I mean, a lot of my friends are settling down, too, and sometimes I feel like I'm still hanging onto the past. Is it just me?"

I think about it. "No," I eventually reply, "I feel that way, sometimes. I guess it's just hard being the only one who's not totally secure. But I wouldn't have it any other way, if you really gave me a choice. We're still so young. There's so much time to do things."

Byron smiles at me. "You're right," he says.

"Besides," I continue, "if things continue the way they are now, I could definitely see …. _us_ getting serious." I say this shyly, afraid to freak him out. But, instead, Byron takes my hands.

"Yeah," he says, "me, too."

And then he leans in and kisses me, and I smile against his lips. Positioning myself so we're facing each other better, I put my hands on his neck softly and open my mouth, allowing him to put his tongue inside my mouth. Byron's hands are on my waist and I can feel myself wanting to give in. _Slow down,_ I think, _don't rush things._

As I remind myself of this, however, my fingers take their own course of action. Reaching down, I begin to tug at the hem of Byron's shirt. He lifts his arms and allows me to remove it, and then I put my hands on his rock-hard abs. I quickly remove my own shirt, for once proud of my figure. Usually I'm just self-conscience when guys check out my fit form, but now I'm happy to match Byron's physique. We continue to kiss and then he moves away from my mouth and down my neck, sucking on my collar bone. I lean into him and sigh, enjoying the wonderful sensation.

All of this just feels so _right._ Never like it did with Ash. I wonder if Byron and I really are going to get serious.

And, to be honest, I don't just wonder. I hope.


	42. Chapter 42

**Hey guys!  
Thank you all so much for my lovely reviews! They've been bringing a smile to my face during a difficult time, which is also the reason why this chapter took so long. 3**

 **DA**

Chapter 42- Kim's POV

I stand with Casey and watch the dolphin show take place in front of us. She squeezes my hand softly and leans her head on my shoulder.

"So," I hear, "what do you want to do later?"

"Um …" I begin to reply, "we could go our for lunch."

"Sounds good."

We don't talk after that, and soon the show is over. I tell Casey that I'm going to go tell Cleo that she did a good job.

"Hey," I say, finding my sister quickly. Cleo is smiling.

"Hi, Kimmy. I didn't know you were here," she responds.

"Yeah. I just wanted to say you did a really well." I brush back some of my hair and look at Cleo in her wetsuit. She looks so thin and beautiful. I awkwardly cross my arms over my stomach.

"Thanks," my sister says, and suddenly her eyes go to somebody behind me and she smiles. "Hi, Casey."

I turn around and see my girlfriend approaching. "Hey, what's up? I was just gonna go get you," I say.

"Yeah, but I thought I'd say hi to Cleo," she says back. My sister gives her a hug and I roll my eyes, smiling. Cleo is probably the most sentimental person I know.

"So, Kim, I was thinking about the whole name thing," Casey begins, turning to me, and I blanch and begin to shake my head as a message for her to stop talking but she doesn't get the hint, "and I really like the name Julia."

Cleo smiles but wrinkles her brow. "Kimmy," she says, "what name thing?"

Casey gets pale and looks back and forth between Cleo and me. "Oh- you didn't- she doesn't- oh. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," I say, not breaking eye contact with Cleo. Casey quietly leaves.

"Okay, Cleo, I know this seems rash and stupid, but … Casey and I are thinking of adopting a kid," I explain. I can't read Cleo's expression.

"Kim," she finally begins, but then some coworker of hers walks up.

"Cleo," he says, "I know this is inconvenient, but could I grab you for a while? It's really important."

"I-uh," she stutters, glancing between me and the man. "Um … sure. If it's really important."

"Great," he says, and begins pulling her away.

"Kimmy!" Cleo shouts as they leave, "Let's talk later, okay?"

I nod and watch them go.

Later, I'm at a little cafe with Casey.

"So," she says, "I'm sorry for spilling the news on Cleo. I thought she knew."

"No," I respond, "but it's okay." I push around my salad and don't eat very much of it. Casey eyes me carefully.

"Kim," she eventually says, "are you okay? You haven't seemed yourself lately."

I look at her, surprised. "Really? I'm sorry, I didn't realize."

"Yeah. You've just seemed kind of blue and out-of-it. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah," I say immediately. I'm not much of a talker, and so "yeah" has become my default response when somebody asks if I'm okay, even if I'm not. I have been kind of sad lately, but I'm not going to tell people. Whenever I say stuff like that out loud, it either makes me seem like I have these problems that are way bigger than they are, or a huge drama queen. I've basically gotten to a point where I just don't tell anyone when something's bothering me and work it out myself.

"Are you sure? Because … okay, I'm not trying to attack you, but you haven't been eating a lot recently. And you're looking really thin. I mean, how much do you weigh?"

This strikes a nerve and I feel a cold sort of anger spring up in me. This coldness is something I inherited from God knows where, both my parents are pretty fiery when upset. But when somebody says something that rubs me wrong, I become cool, blue ice.

"Oh," I say, my voice level and my eyes straight, "so you can lose weight but I can't?"

Casey blushes. "Well, I was actually overweight before I started working out. You've always been very thin, especially in recent years, but I wasn't concerned before you started consciously eating less. You used to eat like a regular person, you just had a fast metabolism. Now you order a salad and eat a quarter of it."

I shake my head and look away, the coldness getting harder. "So what?" I say, "I'm healthy. Maybe you should mind your own business."

Casey opens her mouth and then closes it again. "Alright," she says eventually, "if you promise you're okay. But, seriously, Kim, if you're not okay you can always talk to me."

I look at her concerned face and melt a little. "I know," I respond, "but, really, nothing's the matter. And you can always talk to me, too."

Casey smiles and takes my hand. We get our check, and I feel her watching me as I tell the waiter he can clear my mostly-full plate

When I go home, I find Cleo there. "Oh," I say, "what's up?"

"I stopped by to return something to Sam," my sister responds. "Let's talk," she continues, taking my hand and leading me upstairs.

Once we get into my bedroom, Cleo sits down on my bed. "So," she says, "Kimmy. We've got some stuff to talk about."

I smile and nod. "I know."

Cleo pats the area next to her and I sit. "You and Casey want to have a baby?"

"Well, we're thinking about it. Nothing is final yet, or even close," I explain. I don't want to say that I _want_ to have a kid. That feels a little like … lying.

Cleo looks at me and then puts her head in her hands. At first I'm worried, but then I see that she's smiling.

"Kim," she says, "do you know how much I love Isla?"

I stare at her. "Um …" I begin, "more than life itself?"

"Exactly. More than Lewis. More than you, sorry sweetie. Much more than myself. More than Dad. And I love you and Lewis and Dad _so much._ But with your child … with this beautiful, wonderful little _baby_ that _you_ created … it's different. There is no comparison- they are _the most important person_ in your world. I knew, from the moment my test came back positive, that I was going to love that little baby more than I could even understand at the time. And so I just want to ask you … do you feel that way about your 'baby'?"

I run this over in my head. _Do_ I feel that way?

First, I try and picture myself holding it. Its tiny face looking up at me, entirely dependant. It's life in my hands. The sour feeling in my stomach comes on.

Then I picture waking up every night a million times to change a diaper or feed or simply pat its back. And, of course, that means early nights for me. So while all my other nineteen-year-old friends are partying, I'll be asleep, ready to jump up and attend to baby.

I feel physically sick at this point and shake my head at Cleo. "No," I say, "I think … I think I would hate the baby."

Smiling a little sadly, my sister takes my hand. "I know. Because you're young, and you're very independant. You don't want to be tied down so fast and be relied on by a baby for everything. Maybe when you're older your feelings will change, or maybe not- there's nothing wrong with choosing not to have children. But you can't focus on the future right now. You have to focus on what you want for your life in this moment. And if you don't want this baby … you have to tell Casey."

I look into Cleo's beautiful face. And I really, really think about it. Telling the love of my life that I don't want to have a child with her. Watching her face fall and her tears spill. And as much as the thought of the baby makes me sick … the thought of breaking Casey's heart makes me sicker. All I _ever_ want is to make her happy.

"Maybe," I tell Cleo. She looks surprised, as if she was sure this speech would work.

"Kim, what? You have to tell her! No maybe."

"I just … maybe if I wait a little longer, the idea will grow on me. I don't want to rush into telling her. I'll just hang back for a bit and consider things, you know?" I say this through my teeth because I know I will never speak up. The thought of losing Casey terrifies me beyond words. So, maybe I will tell everyone that I'm "hanging back for a bit," and then I will tell them I changed my mind. And I'll put up with the baby for her. For Casey. Because I can't handle losing her.

"Oh … kay," Cleo says slowly. I stand and smile at her and we hug very quickly and very lightly.

"Thanks, Cle," I shout as she leaves, and then I watch her get into her car and drive home. And that sour feeling has spread into my chest.


	43. Chapter 43

**Hey guys, this is going to be short but it's a two-parter. I'll try and get the second part up today or tomorrow.**

 **DA**

Chapter 43- Cleo's POV

"Lewis?" I call, hearing the front door open and shut. I walk around the kitchen island and see m husband walking in and loosening his tie. Isla clings to my neck and begins to whimper.

"Hey," says Lewis, walking to me and giving me a peck on the cheek.

Isla whines loudly and presses her hot, red face into my chest.

"What's wrong with her?" Lewis asks. His tone is a little harsh and I can see the veins in his back as he opens the fridge and takes out a beer.

"Oh, she's been fussy all day. Are you okay? You seem tense."

My husband grabs our bottle opener as he responds, "Work was hell today. Sam was coming down so hard on Leena and me, telling us we _needed_ to get our report done by Monday, we _needed_ to get that research in ASAP. She doesn't understand that these things take _time."_

I shifted Isla and smoothed down her damp curls. "That's too bad, hun. At least you're home now," I said.

"Yeah, but I have so much to do. I'm gonna be working all night."

I stared at him for a second, trying not to get annoyed. "Lewis," I said gently, "we're going out tonight."

"What?" my husband snapped. "Where?"

"It's Isla's nine month birthday … we agreed we were going to go out for dinner and celebrate," I explain. I can see Lewis trying to figure out how to avoid going.

"Sweetie," he begins, "I totally forgot. I'm so sorry, but I just don't think I have time today."

I smile thinly. "That's fine. It's not like it's her birthday or anything … if you have to work, that's 100% understandable."

Lewis walks over and kisses the side of my head and then, as Isla wriggles to get down, we hug. I put the baby on the floor and feel his comforting hold around me, but then I realize he's only got one arm on my back and I turn to see him texting over my shoulder. _Leena_ the contact says.

"Sorry," says Lewis, turning off the phone, "just work stuff."

"That's okay …" I reply, a little annoyed but not overly upset. "How is Leena anyway?"

I've seen the woman a few times since Lewis told me she and Roy were going through a divorce, and she seems fine. But she's also a very strong person. I wouldn't be surprised if she was actually hurting underneath.

"She's doing alright. She and Roy and trying to figure out who gets the house and custody of their dog, Congo, and their cats, Leo and Shadow. They also have to figure out what to do about a lot of their mutual investments, but Leena says that she and Roy are communicating better through this than they have for the last year of their marriage. She's thankful that she didn't end up having a baby last year, when they were trying, because then this process would be so much uglier." Lewis says this all like it's totally normal for him to know every detail of Leena's life. I look at him with raised eyebrows.

"Wow," I eventually say. "you sure know a lot."

Lewis shrugs. "We spend all day, everyday sitting next to each other. You get to know a person."

I nod and then walk into the living room. "Honey," I hear Lewis call, "what are you making for dinner?"

"I don't know … I was planning on going out …" I respond. Isla is standing at the table, playing with some blocks. And by playing with I mean chewing on.

"Oh, alright. I might go grab a drink with some of my coworkers and eat at the bar," Lewis says, and I stare at him.

"I thought the whole reason you couldn't go out for Isla's nine months was because you had too much work," I say pointedly. Lewis stretches.

"Yeah, but this'll only take, like, a half an hour. Going out to dinner with you two would've taken at least two hours … I'll be back before eight."

I shake my head a little. "Well, what am I supposed to do for dinner? Can I come with you?"

"Who would watch Isla?"

Now I'm getting really annoyed. First, Lewis comes home already snappish. Then he cancels our plans and goes on and on about his female coworker. Now he's making _new_ plans and saying I can't join him. I think I have the right to be a little miffed.

"You're right," I say through my teeth. I'm hoping he'll catch onto the fact that I don't want him to go, but he just puts one hand on my shoulder and says, "You're the best," while reading something on his phone. He smiles. I wonder if it's Leena.

"Who are you texting?" I ask, trying to keep the suspicion out of my voice. I'm not really worried that Lewis would _ever_ cheat on me or anything, it's just, sometimes he gives Leena more attention than he does me. I get that they're friends but I just want him to understand that it makes me feel a little unappreciated.

"Nobody," Lewis says, turning off the phone, "why?"

I shrug and look down at Isla. "No reason. I was just wondering if it was Leena again."

Lewis walks around to my side of the couch and makes eye contact with me. "Cleo," he says, "you're not jealous of Leena, are you?"

I blushed deeply, annoyed that he would even ask. "No, you just text her all the time. Sometimes it feels like you'd rather be with her than me. Is she going to the bar tonight?"

Lewis chuckles a little and I feel heat rush into my face.

"Baby, you don't have to be jealous of Leena. She's just a friend," he says. I narrow my eyes.

"I'm not," I say sharply, "I just think it's a little weird how much you know about her life and how you text her all the time and how you go out to bars with her on your daughter's nine month birthday."

Lewis raises his eyebrows. "I told you, I have work," he says. I shrug.

"This is ridiculous," Lewis says, "you're actually mad at me?"

"No, I'm not mad. You've just been getting on my nerves tonight," I explain. Lewis rolls his eyes.

"Do I get mad at you when you hand out with Will or Zane?" he asks. I stand.

"No, because they're my oldest guy friends, second to you, and they're both in relationships with my best friends. And I'm not mad at you for hanging out with Leena, Lewis, I'm just annoyed that you haven't paid me or our daughter any attention this evening."

Lewis scoffs. "You know," he says, "most guys my age don't have to deal with this."

"Deal with what?" I ask, genuinely upset now. "Having a family?" I scoop Isla into my arms and hold her close, even when she squirms.

"Yes- no. Just … the pressure of coming home to a wife and baby every night and not being allowed to go out and have fun sometimes."

"You're 'allowed' to go out, Lewis! I just think it's rude that you cancelled our plans and then immediately made new ones with another woman! You're supposed to be my husband, not Leena's. And you're supposed to be here for Isla"

Lewis's face reddens. "Oh," he says, "so now I'm rude, a cheater, and a bad father?"

"That's not what I said-" I begin, but I'm cut off my Isla's piercing wail. I glance between her and Lewis and then say, "I've got to go change her. I'll be back in five minutes."

I change Isla quickly and her cries snivel to a stop as I change her into her jammies and cuddle her close. She holds onto me like I am the only thing in this world and I kiss the top of her precious head.

"Lewis, I'm-" I am saying as I walk back into the living room, but it's empty. I call my husband's name but get no response. Suddenly my phone buzzes. It's Lewis.

 _Went to bar. Home soonish._

I look at the text, feeling anger rise in me. _Calm down,_ I tell myself. _He's just working off steam._ I make dinner for Isla and me and we eat together. At one point, she knocks over her plate, sending mashed peas flying.

I clean up the mess and then put Isla to bed. Her sleepy little eyes close slowly as I read _Goodnight, Moon._ Then I put her in her crib and hop in the shower. After I'm out, I put on my PJs and put _About a Boy_ on on the TV. Halfway through the movie, I check the time. It's nearly ten.

 _Hey,_ I text Lewis, _home soon?_

After ten minutes, I see that he's read the message but hasn't responded.

I get an idea and text Sam. _Hey,_ I say, _Lewis says the guys are really swamped at work lately. Maybe a summer break for a few days? Totally understand if not, just an idea! Love you!_

The movie ends around eleven and I go to bed, aware of Lewis's missing presence. I try to fall asleep but it's early morning by the time I do. I'm still alone in bed.


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44- Lewis's POV

"So then she kept complaining that I wasn't paying her or Isla enough attention, which is so stupid. I mean, seriously, most guys my age would be way worse parents than me." I say this with a beer in my hand. Is this my sixth, seventh? I've lost count. It must be getting pretty late. Cleo is probably worried and I do have work to do but I don't feel like driving home … the coworker I'm talking to seems uninterested. I stand and walk to the bar.

"Hey, Lewis," I hear, and I turn to see Leena, her wild curls up in a knot. She smiles at me.

"Hey," I respond lightly. I'm happy to see her.

"So, I was working on the papers and I realized that if we just-" Leena begins to say, but I hang my head and groan, cutting her off.

"I don't wanna talk about work right now, Leen," I say, and she rolls her eyes, smirking.

"Alright, then what do you want to talk about? How's Cleo?"

I sigh. "We're fighting right now. She's mad at me for … just not paying attention to her or something."

"Well, what did you do?" Leena's eyes glitter. I have a strange feeling in my chest. She's so beautiful.

I sip my (eighth?) beer and try to remember. "Well, basically, it's Isla's nine month birthday and we were supposed to go out for dinner. But you know how swamped we are with work, so I told her I couldn't go. She was cool with that, but then I said I wanted to go out with the guys for a drink and she got super mad, like why did I cancel our plans and then make new ones. I tried to explain that going out with you guys would take, like, half an hour and dinner with her would take at least two hours. But then she kept saying all this crap about me being rude and a bad husband and stuff and … yeah, that's it I guess. So I came out here."

Leena stares at me. "I'm sorry," she eventually says, "that sucks. But maybe you should try seeing things from her perspective."

"Yeah, I get that I might have been being kind of annoying, but I'm twenty-four. Most guys my age certainly aren't dads, and so sometimes I deserve to have a break."

Tucking some hair behind her ear, Leena says, "Come with me. I want to show you something."

She begins to walk towards the exit, and I follow. As I walk, I check my phone. I have a text from Cleo. _Hey, home soon?_ I don't respond. We have to push through a crowd of Uni students who are home for the summer right now, and then we're at the door. When we get outside, Leena sits down on the wall surrounding the courtyard area. "Lewis," she says, patting the spot next to her. I sit, too.

"You know, when my mom had me, she was only eighteen."

I look at her. "No, I didn't know. That must have been very hard."

"It was. She and her highschool boyfriend had sex after their senior prom night and she ended up pregnant with me. The boyfriend said he would stay with her forever, and, then, when I was six months old, he packed up one day and left. Told my mom that he wanted to be a normal nineteen-year-old, not a 'daddy.'"

Watching Leena's face, I listen to her story. It makes me cringe a little. What is she suggesting?

"Are you saying you think I'm going to leave Cleo?"

"No, Lewis," Leena assures me. "I'm just saying that this is a slippery slope. If you focus on the fact that you can't be exactly like other twenty-four year olds, you'll drive yourself out of your mind. But if you focus on the fact that you have a beautiful wife who, by the way, is way out of your league, and a wonderful, healthy little girl … I think you'll realize the glass is more than half full."

I listen carefully to Leena's words. I suppose she's right … it's just so hard sometimes …

We walk back in, pushing through the Uni kids again. I hear one of them say, "No, mate, I don't want another drink. Unlike some people, I don't like getting bloody wasted," and smile.

A while later, I'm at the bar with a couple of guys and Leena. By this point, I'm pretty drunk. It must be getting really late. I check my phone and it's near one. "Hey," I shout to the guys, "I should go."

Leena looks stricken momentarily. "What's wrong?" I ask, walking to her. She drags me away from the guys and into a quiet corner.

"Nothing … I just hate being alone, like, without you. I don't know the other guys as well, and … I'm sick of coming home to an empty house."

I look at her beautiful face and then, suddenly, I'm leaning in towards her. I don't know why- half of my brain is SCREAMING to stop- but I just press my face against her, tilting my head sideways so our noses don't bump. I feel the curve of her full lips against mine and she puts her arms around my neck. I tighten my grip around her waist, feeling her hourglass figure. Leena grips my hair and we kiss hard, like sloppy teenagers. I feel her tongue in my mouth but then, all of the sudden, it's over. Backing away, Leena covers her hand with her mouth, her eyes wide and scared. "Oh-" she stutters, "oh, no."

I look at her and a sinking feeling takes over my whole chest. What did I just do? Oh god, oh fucking god …

 _Calm down,_ I tell myself, _it's not like you slept with her._

Another part of me, however, is screaming, _You imbecile! You_ IDIOT! _Cleo is right, you are a cheater and a bad father!_

I run a hand through my hair. "I- I'm so sorry," I say.

"No, no, it was my fault … oh god, Lewis, what are we going to _do?"_ asks Leena. She looks terrified.

"Nothing," I say shortly, "nothing. We're drunk, it was only a kiss, a stupid, _stupid_ mistake that will never happen again!"

Leena stares at me. "So you don't have feelings for me?"

Shaking my head, I try to think straight. But I'm reeling. "I mean, I think you're beautiful and funny and smart and I want to be with you and make you happy but … I love Cleo!"

Leena puts her head into her hands and sighs deeply. "God," she breathes, "oh god. I … I feel very similarly about you Lewis, but … I know that you love Cleo, and I am still all messy with Roy and you two have a daughter! I mean, I can't mess with your marriage!"

"You're spiraling!" I say pointedly. "You're spiraling- nothing's wrong with our marriage! I just made a stupid, drunk mistake! Cleo doesn't even have to know!"

Leena runs a hand through her hair and then says, "I'm so, so sorry, Lewis. I've got to go." She grabs her bag and pushes through the remaining Uni kids. I lean against the wall and try to think.

Just then, a group of guys from work begin to shout and cheer. "Hey," they call, "Lewis!"

I look up and listen. "Sam just cancelled work for the next couple of days! Summer holiday!"

I smile thinly. Great, more time for Cleo. Now I can focus on her and Isla and being the perfect family man, and then, maybe …

Maybe I won't feel so, so, so guilty. Besides, she really doesn't have to know. It would just hurt her more.

I grab my stuff and and begin to head out. _I should call a cab,_ I think. _I'm drunk._ At the moment, however, I feel pretty damn sober.

As I push through the Uni kids, however, something very, very strange happens. One of them reaches out and grabs me. "Get off me mate," I say, wiggling my arm, but the grip tightens. I look behind me and a tall, blond fellow is holding onto me. He has familiar, ice blue eyes.

We get through the crowd and I turn to face him. "What the hell?" I ask, but he doesn't seem like some dumb kid pulling a prank. He looks about Kim's age and his face is dead serious.

"I saw what you did," the boy tells me. I stare at him. "I saw you kissing that other woman. I won't tell Cleo, but I know what you did, and if you ever do anything like it again … just remember that I know. And I could tell. I know that you're drunk, but you're also married. You need to get a grip."

I am utterly baffled. How does he know about Cleo? Who _is_ this kid?

"I won't tell anyone, not even Emma, mate, but you've been warned, I guess." Then he walks back into the crowd and I stare at him. Emma? Why would he tell Emma?

Then it dawns on me.

Eliot.


	45. Chapter 45

**Hey guys! So I actually came across some time tonight and got this finished up. Review please!**

 **DA**

Chapter 45- Rikki's POV

I sit across from Dr. G, twirling my hair absentmindedly as he speaks.

"...so, I've come to the conclusion that your separation issues stem from your mother's leaving you. I would strongly suggest that you talk about what happened with her to me."

I tune in enough to hear this and my chest closes a little. Talk about my mother? To this man whom I don't very well know?

I know he asked me to consider this last week, but I sort of just rolled my eyes at the idea. How could I ever explain her? Mallory Chadwick, or Mallory Simpson, as she probably goes by now. How could I tell Dr. G about the way she looked, the way she spoke, the way she moved? I can't. It's impossible.

"I'm sorry," I say, "but I'm really not comfortable talking about this." I hope, almost pray, that he will drop it. He has to, right?

"Rikki," Dr. G puts his elbows on his knees and looks me in the eyes, "I know it might be hard to think about this stuff, but if you want to get better, you have to be willing to cooperate. Let's start easy. What's her name?"

I wish he would just stop talking. I stare at the dead skin in the corners of his mouth and wish he would let me go home.

"Mallory."

"That's good," he says, happily. "I bet that's the first time you've said that name in a while."

I nod slowly.

"Did she look like you?"

Did she? I suppose. I can't really remember her face- it's fuzzy and sort of muted. The features- her nose and lips and cheek bones- have lost definition and been replaced by generic barbie-doll versions. "She had blue eyes," I say quietly, my voice low. "Just like me." This I know. "And she died her hair a lot, but I think it was blonde naturally. I think."

I remember the bleachy smell of her hair dye, and the way she would come out of the steamy bathroom, suddenly a ginger or a brunette. When she left, her hair had been platinum blonde and damp and pulled up, revealing her darker roots. It was brittle and damaged. I remember, too, that her teeth were always so yellow, smudged with red lipstick, from years of cigarettes and coffee. I remember that, sometimes, I didn't want her to come near me, because she smelled like booze and smoke and felt too thin and boney to the touch. I rarely saw her eat. Beer, coffee, cigarettes, and hard liquor seemed to sustain her.

"Hmm. So, what happened between her and your father?"

I tense. How did we jump from her looks to the day she left?

"I-I don't know," I stutter quickly, my face hot and red.

Dr. G glances at me over his clipboard. "Rikki," he says, using this annoying little voice, "I know this is hard, but please, try."

I shake my head a little too fast and breathe in a little too sharply. "Bills!" I exclaim, feeling myself get hotter and hotter. I can't talk about this- I can't! "Bills, there were so many bills!"

Dr. G goes to sip his tea and pulls away. The cup of camomile, which was once lukewarm, is suddenly boiling. He puts it down, his eyebrows knitted, and says, "So it was money issues?"

I smile and roll my eyes. "I guess, I mean- I don't really know! That's gotta be part of it, though."

Wiping his brow, Dr. G writes what I said down. "Okay. This was a very good start. What else do you think of when you think of her?"

I open my mouth and try to think of something-anything-to say. "Well, she-she was just a human."

I know it sounds stupid. I know Dr. G could never understand, but I keep talking. "She was just a human- she had muscles and calves and if you poked her in the eye it would hurt. She was made of all these body parts and, on a really foundational level, she was just like me! She wasn't some cartoon monster, I guess. I mean, she used to run and then, when she was stopping, she'd take short, choppy steps and patter to a halt. That's how I stop running, and probably you, too. She was just a human, but she was so much more!"

Suddenly, Dr. G's tea boils over the edge of the cup. Staring at the steam, I stand. "I-I should go!"

"Rikki, no, please wait!" he exclaims. "I feel like we're really making progress- ow!" he continues, attempting to wipe the tea but getting burned.

"No," I say, backing away, "I have to go."

Dr. G makes a few more weak protests but, soon, I'm gone. I rush out of the building and towards the water, which isn't far away. Once I get there, I dive in head first, not even looking around to see if anyone is watching. Swimming faster than I ever have, I reach Mako in record time. Quickly, I dry myself and sit on the sand, thinking of my mother and Zane and Charlotte and Dr. G and the way everyone looks at me, like I'm crazy or something.

After about ten minutes, my breathing starts to become normal and the water in the moonpool stops boiling. "Okay," I whisper, "you're okay."

I lay on the sand, staring up at the roof of the cave. Taking deep breaths, I wonder what would happen if I ever saw my mother again.

"I would hate her," I say to myself, my voice gravely and sure. "I would hate her more than I've ever hated anybody."

I continue to think about her, and the way the skin around her forearms was a little loose and she had a few freckles. I think about the way she, sometimes, dyed her hair a ruby color, the same way Charlotte used to wear it. And I think of whether or not she would approve of Zane.

 _No,_ I'm convinced. _She never trusted men with money. Which is funny, since she was always chasing them around._

I can tell the sun is setting, and my eyes are growing heavy. After everything that happened today, I'm pretty wiped out. _Zane must be getting worried,_ I think. _You should really go back…_

The sand is so warm, though. Soon enough, I doze off.

 _Zane screams, his voice sharp. It echos around the cave. I can't do anything._

 _My mother swims to the surface of the moonpool, her tail long and gold. She puts out a cigarette and smiles at me, but her face is blurry. "Rikki," she says, "hun, you could do better than him."_

 _I try to shake my head, try to explain how much I love Zane, but can't move. Something is sizzling. Zane screams louder._

 _Standing, Charlotte walks towards me. Before, she had been kneeling next to Zane, pressing a flat iron against his bicep. That was the sizzling, I suppose._

 _Charlotte looks at me closely. She is a teenager again, pale skin, red hair. "He won't stay forever," she whispers. Suddenly, somebody grabs my ankle tightly, the hand wet. My head jerks down, finally able to move, and I see that my mother had dragged herself out of the pool. Her platinum hair is stuck all around her head and she smiles at me, wider this time. She tries to stand but can't, and flops closer to me. It's grotesque. My stomach tightens._

" _Dry me off, Rik." How does she know about my powers?_

 _Suddenly the horrible smell of burning hair fills my nose and I realize Charlotte has clamped the flat iron down on my ponytail. I try to pull away but can't move again._

 _Simultaneously, Emma, Cleo, and Bella rise to the surface of the moonpool. Something is wrong with them- they're greyish. Their skin is sagging and dead-looking and they have gills or something. Cleo speaks first. "He won't stay forever."_

 _Was it Cleo? Or Charlotte?_

 _My mother bites my ankle. Bright red and cool, the blood spills. It stains her teeth red and she smiles, even wider again. "Dry me off, Rik."_

 _My ponytail falls onto the sand, singed off. Charlotte walks away and slides into the pool. Her tail is orange and then my mother flops back in._

 _The five of them tread there, together. Zane is silent, laying in a heap on the beach, blindfolded and bound._

" _He won't stay forever."_

 _I can't tell who's speaking, but I've had enough and finally find my voice._

" _Yes. He will."_

 _And then Zane stands, suddenly okay. The five mermaids stare as he walks to me. Taking my hands, Zane brings them together._

" _I strongly suggest," he whispers in my ear, only now he is Dr. G and not Zane and pushing me towards the pool, "that you think about it."_

 _And then I am in the pool, and they are all greyish and dead-looking and and I can't move again, I can only sink and sink and sink._

" _Rikki…"_

 _The water is so heavy, on every side._

" _Rikki …"_

 _Is the pool bottomless? I don't know …_

"Rikki!"

My eyes fly open and I sit up so fast that a pain shoots through my forehead.

His hands on my shoulders, Zane looks at me worriedly. "Hey," he says as I breathe heavily, my cheeks red, "It's okay. Everything's okay."

And then I make eye contact with him and suddenly push myself onto my knees and hug him harder than I ever have before. "I keep seeing faces," I whisper, "and he keeps asking questions."

Zane breathes in, as if to say something, but instead just rubs my back and pulls me into him. We both sink onto our calves and he kisses the side of my head.

"You'll never leave me," I say after a while. "Promise me."

And then Zane hold me and shoulder's length and forces our eyes to meet. "I will stay," he says, with more confidence than I've ever heard anyone use, "forever."


	46. Chapter 46

**Hey guys!**

 **So this chapter starts with one long flashback. Enjoy!**

 **DA**

Chapter 46- Bella's POV

" _Will!" Sophie screamed. "Get out here!"_

 _I didn't understand her concern until I looked down. Where my legs should have been, there was a long, sparkling orange tail._

 _Will came running out, looking a little flustered. "What is it?" he asked, and I knew he couldn't even see me because I was behind the counter. Face pale and body shaking, Sophie pointed at me, grabbing a chair and falling into it with a thud. Will ran around the kitchen island and then his eyes landed on me. I kind of half-smiled and shrugged, propped up on my elbows. "My tail is back," I said with a little humor. Even though I knew that there literally couldn't have been a worse time for me to become a mermaid, I couldn't help but be ecstatic that I'd finally found my powers again._

 _Will stared at me with a blank face for a second and then closed his eyes, a smile breaking out across his face. Walking to me, he knelt down, kissing my forehead. "I've been so worried," he whispered, and I let out a breathy little laugh, tears in my eyes. "Me, too."_

" _So- so this is a thing?" Sophie said, reminding us both of her presence. She was still white in the face. "What the hell is even going on?!"_

 _As she spoke, Will handed me a towel and walked to her. "Sophie," he said, "there are some things we need to talk about."_

 _He sat down next to his sister and I dried off, eventually turning back into my human form. Upon seeing this, Sophie began to shake even harder and put her head down on the table. "This is all just some stupid, crazy dream," she muttered, and I sat down next to her._

" _Please," Will said, "let us explain."_

 _A long, silent minute passed and then she responded. "I'm listening."_

 _I guess neither of us really knew how to begin. "Well …" I eventually said, "When I was nine years old, I lived in Ireland with my parents. They were both busy a lot, and so I had a lot of time to myself. We lived out in the countryside by the coast, and I always used to explore the caves and the little pools around the beach. It was fun, for a child. It was … magical._

" _One day, I found a pool inside a cave, and it looked so inviting. I felt … drawn to it. Like it was calling me. And so I jumped in._

" _That night, the moon rose so that is was perfectly above the pool. It was a full moon that night, and, suddenly, from all around me, golden bubbles began to rise. Being only nine, I didn't really question this. I just watched, awed. And then, almost instantaneously, my legs turned into a mermaid tail. I was only a kid, and so I just thought it was crazy and awesome and … well, to be honest, I didn't have an idea what to do. I just decided not to tell my parents because all the kids in the movies who got superpowers always kept it a secret. As I grew up, I began to realize what a good decision not telling anybody about my tail had been- if I had told, I most definitely would've been used as some sort of an experiment. Maybe even dissected. And so, that is what just happened. Everytime I get wet, I turn into … a mermaid."_

 _Sophie brings her head up from the table. "So …" she said, her voice trembling, "you're trying to tell me that, when you were nine, you turned into a mermaid- a mythical creature that_ doesn't fucking exist- _and now you still do everytime you touch water."_

 _I nodded, and Sophie stood, her hands on her head. "I-" she began, faltering. "I'm sorry. It's just a lot to take in."_

 _Will got up, walking to her. "I know," he said, "and trust me, it was hard for me, too. But Bella is still just Bella. She's still just a regular person."_

 _At that, Sophie laughed. "Regular? She's a fish!"_

" _No," Will said. "She's just a person."_

" _Are there more like you?" Sophie asked._

 _Will looked at me, unsure of what to say. "No," I eventually responded, not wanting to put the other girls in danger._

" _What about Percy?"_

" _No," I repeated. Sophie closed her eyes again._

" _I'm sorry," she said. "But I just really can't … digest this right now. I think it would be best if I just packed up my things and left. I need to get away from this right now."_

 _Sophie gathered her things, and then, as she went to go for the door, Will took her arm. "Sophie," he said. "Please, I need you to promise not to tell_ anyone _about this."_

 _The blonde girl stopped and stared at us. She opened her mouth but nothing came out, until she finally put her suitcase on the ground. "Will," she said, "Bella. This is certainly … a lot to take in. And I still haven't quite wrapped my mind around it, but … I will never tell anyone. I would never put you, or Percy, in danger. But, right now, I just need to get away."_

 _I let out an audible sigh of relief and then Sophie left. She just closed the door and was gone, and, even though she had sworn not to tell, there was suddenly another person out there, walking around with information that could ruin my life._

It has been exactly two weeks since Sophie left, and, so far, she's kept her promise. Or, at least, there have been no doctors knocking at my door.

I am playing with Percy when Will comes home. "Hi, sweetie," he says, kissing the top of my head and picking Percy up off the ground.

"Hi," I respond, standing. Will cuddles Percy, who squeals with delight that Daddy is home. I smile at them and walk to Will, putting my hands on his shoulders and leaning against him. Percy giggles and then lets out a long yawn. "Oh," I say, taking him, "somebody's late for his nap."

I carry Percy into his room and put him down in his crib, staying with him until he falls asleep. Closing the door with a soft click, I walk back out to find Will sitting on the couch and watching the news. "He's asleep," I say, climbing onto the couch and resting my head on Will's lap. Will stokes my hair and I shut my eyes for a second.

"Are you okay?" asks Will. "You're hot."

"Actually," I respond, "I was sick this morning. It must have been something I ate last night."

"Why didn't you tell me, Bells?" he says, but not like he's hurt. I shrug.

"I didn't want to worry you."

"Well, we're supposed to worry for each other. Are you alright now? Do you need to go to the doctor?"

Shaking my head, I sit up a little. "No," I say, "I'm fine now. It was just a little bug. I've felt fine all day."

Will smiles at me and I lean back against him. "Percy was being so silly all day," I say.

"He's wonderful, isn't he?" I hear Will ask. I smile.

"Well, of course he is. He's us."

And then Will reaches down and lifts my head towards his and kisses me, so softly and tenderly that I think I might just die from happiness. He kisses me like I'm a precious work of art, and I hope he never stops kissing me like this.

As I scoot up a little, Will deepens the kiss, and I slip my tongue into his mouth. When he reaches for my breasts, however, I squeak and pull away.

"What's wrong?" asks Will, a look of confusion on his face.

"I don't know," I respond, "it just hurt a little. I feel … sore. Maybe I've been working out too much."

Accepting this explanation, Will kisses me again, and I put my arms around his neck, breathing in his soft, comforting scent


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47- Emma's POV

I fix my hair, pulling it back into a tight french braid and then reapply my lipstick. Byron should be here any second.

The doorbell rings and I smile at myself in the mirror one last time before going to open the door. When I do, Byron is standing there with a bouquet of flowers, grinning at me.

"Oh," I say, surprised and delighted, "that's so sweet of you!"

"It was nothing," he responds, and then takes my arm and leads me out towards his car.

"So," Byron says as we walk, "how have you been?"

We haven't seen each other in a week, since he flew out to visit his parents in the states, where they retired. That's why we've planned such a fancy date for tonight- a special reunion dinner.

"I'm great. I missed you, but, otherwise, things have been good. How were your parents?"

"They were good. Seems like they really like California. They don't have vegemite over there, though, and the gaps between their bathroom stalls are huge. It's definitely different."

I nod, remembering how strange the states seemed when I visited with my family. We went to a few places- Texas, which was very much like an old Western movie, Flordia, which seemed the most like home, and a small, colonial state called Connecticut which I had never even heard of at the time. All three were nice, but I enjoyed our time in some of the other European and Asian countries more.

"I'm excited to go out tonight," I say. "I've been looking for an excuse to get dressed up." This is a joke, but Byron grins at me.

"You look beautiful all the time," he says, opening the door to his car, at which we just arrived, "but especially tonight."

I smile and get in the passenger's seat.

A while later, we get to the restaurant. It's a really classy place and I'm so happy to be there, from the moment Byron pulls back my chair for me to the when our food comes. We make small talk and I can't help but feel truly at peace, like this is how it was always meant to be.

And then … that all comes crashing down.

Because, right after our desserts are delivered, in walks Ash.

Immediately, I get pale. "What's wrong?" Byron asks, interrupting the story he had been telling about his sister and her pet guinea pig.

"Nothing," I say, trying to avoid Ash's eye, "I just … my ex boyfriend just walked in."

Reddening, Byron turns around. "Don't look!" I hiss.

"Sorry," he apologizes. "So, I take it things didn't end very well?"

"No, they didn't … we were together for a long time, almost four years, and when I ended things … he was really mad," I explain. I see Ash walking over out of the corner of my eye and pray he hasn't spotted me and is just going to be seated, but he stops at our table and I am forced to look up.

"Ash," I say, a fake smile on my face as I look at him for the first time in months.

"Emma," he responds, "hi. How are you?"

"I'm good," I say, standing and giving him a quick hug out of custome. I notice a shy looking girl behind him with long, dark hair and dark blue eyes that are thin and slanted, curling up at the ends. She has very dark freckles covering her whole body and she's thin, thinner than I've ever been.

"This," Ash says, gesturing to the girl, "Is Estelle. My girlfriend."

She smiles at me briefly, her pretty little mouth turning up in the corners. "Hi," I say, sticking out my hand to her, "I'm Emma."

Estelle takes my hand and shakes it, her own hand cool and thin. "It's nice to meet you," she says, and I detect a French accent in her voice, along with a lisp. Somehow, this makes a startlingly pretty combination.

"This is Byron," I say, introducing my boyfriend. He stands and shakes Ash's hand and then the couple walks to their own table, concluding that it was good to see us.

Byron and I finish our date quickly and he drops me off at home, leaving me with a smooth kiss. Overall, things went very well today, but seeing Ash surprised me. And then there's the beautiful, delicate Estelle.

 _Whatever,_ I think, _you just weren't expecting to them. You'll forget about it in the morning._

When I wake up the next day, however, I have far from forgotten about it. I go out to pour myself some cereal when I notice a letter on the floor near the door. Walking to it, I stoop down and pick it up.

 _ **Somebody knows about you who should not.**_

This is all that's written, in neat, perfect cursive. I can't understand what this means or why somebody would give me this litter or why I can't just have a normal life where people don't slip anonymous tips under my door during the night. And, most of all, and I can't stop the sinking feeling from spreading in my stomach.


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48- Kim's POV

"Hello?" I say, walking into Casey's house. She'd texted me just to come in when I arrived.

"Hey, Kim," says Casey, walking out of her bedroom wearing a pink tanktop and a pair of black sweatpants. Her dark hair is up in a messy bun all and she looks tired. It's not that late, only about seven, so this is a little unusual.

"What's wrong?" I ask as we both sit down on her couch. Casey's parents aren't home, so I'm spending the night.

"Oh, nothing. I'm just beat. I slept over my sister's last night- the one who just had the baby- and I literally didn't sleep. Gloria, the baby, wouldn't shut _up!"_

I smile and shrug, leaning my head against her shoulder. "That sucks."

"Yeah."

There is silence before I ask, "Do you want to watch a movie?"

Casey suddenly shifts away from me. "Kim," she says, "before we watch a movie, I think we should talk."

She looks nervous and sad a scared and I can't help but panic. What could this be? What if she break up with me?

"I … I've been thinking a lot lately, and I don't think … I don't think I want to … adopt a baby." Casey's eye are down. I know she must think she's crushing me.

But … I haven't been so happy in a while. My chest feels like it might explode and I can't keep the grin off my face as I think _she doesn't want it either! Oh my God!_

Before Casey can continue, I grab her face in my hands and kiss her hard, pushing her backwards a little.

When I pull away, she looks confused. "Wh- what?"

"Casey … oh, God, Casey," I say, trying not to cry I'm so relieved. "I don't want to adopt the baby either."

Upon hearing this, Casey's face breaks and she says, "Really? Oh, thank God, Kim! I've been feeling this way for so long, but I just felt like you wanted it so badly, I …" she isn't able to finish.

Letting about a shaky breath, I smile at her. "I felt that way, too."

And then Casey kisses me, her lips full and soft and I gently cup her face, finally happy enough to truly enjoy this. When we pull apart, Casey is still smiling.

"I guess we rushed into things a little, huh?" she laughs.

"We didn't actually do anything, at least," I respond. "We only talked about it. "

"Yeah," says Casey. "I think we just tried to skip a few steps. We're only nineteen."

Nodding, I brush some hair out of her face. "How about we take it back a few steps?" I ask. "Would you want to get an apartment together next year?"

Casey stares at me. "Really?" she says, and I nod.

"Our schools are only half an hour away from each other. We could just get a place in between."

Laughing again, Casey takes my hand. "Yes," she says, "I'd love that. And I love you."

I smile and get up on my knees and kiss her again, happier than I've been in a long, long time.


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49- Lewis's POV

I wake up with a smile on my face, having just had a good dream. Something about Isla, I've already forgotten, but even so, I'm happy. This short break has been great. After rushing home on … _that_ night, I'd found Cleo asleep.

When she woke up the next morning however, I apologized profusely, nearly crying from shame. Cleo, confused but slightly touched by this, kept telling me that it was just a small argument and everything was okay. Of course, she didn't, and still doesn't, know what I'd done.

Rolling on my side now, I see that Cleo is still asleep. "Good morning," I whisper, kissing her cheek. I can tell she's awake now but she doesn't open her eyes, only smiles.

I tuck some hair behind her ear, propped up on my elbow, and then kiss her forehead and get out of bed. "I've got to get to work," I say quietly, walking into the bathroom and leaving her warm in out bed. Today is my first day of work after our break, which I found out was induced by Cleo earlier, only adding to my guilt. Despite this, however, things have been great between us.

After showering, dressing, and eating a light breakfast, I ride to work. When I get there, things seem busier than usual. I suppose everyone is trying to catch up on what they didn't do over our break.

"Hey," I say to Rick, one of the guys. He nods as me and I put my stuff down on my desk. Although things were okay this morning, it's suddenly hit me that I'm going to have to see Leena again today. I don't know if I'm ready for that. When I look at her desk, though, it's empty and she's nowhere to be found.

I assume she's just running late, but, by lunch, I'm a little confused. "Hey," I say to Rick again, "Where's Leena?" He just shrugs.

After this, I go to Sam's office. After knocking, I hear her yell for me to come in.

"Ah, Lewis," she says as I enter. "Make it quick. Things are hectic around here today."

I nod and take a seat across from her. "I was just wondering where Leena is. She hasn't come in today."

"Oh," Sam says, her curly hair pulled back, "didn't she tell you? She quit."

Sam says this like it is normal but I just stare at her. "What?" I eventually ask.

"Leena called me a few days ago and gave her notice. It was very abrupt but it had something to do with a family emergency, or so I gathered. Of course, it will be hard to find a replacement, but I'll deal with that later … Lewis? You okay in there?"

She asks because I've just been sitting blankly, trying to process this. Leena quit her job … because of me.

"Yes," I eventually say, "I'm fine."

Smiling sympathetically, Sam stands and walks over. "I know you two were good friends, but you can still see her. It's not like she's gone forever."

I nod and thank Sam before leaving silently. Suddenly, the workplace seems crowded and stuffy and I need to get out of there. Leena quit her high-paying, stable job, because I messed up.

 _Oh God,_ I think, _you ruined her life!_

I leave the office and try to think of where to go. Part of me wants to go to Leena but my more sensible side knows that's a bad idea. I know that I can't go home to Cleo- that would just make things worse- and so I decide to go to a bar. _That's probably not smart,_ my conscience tells me, but it seems like the best and most desirable option right now. _You'll just have a drink or two …_

About an hour later, I am pretty drunk. I know I wasn't planning on drinking this much but I just kept thinking about Leena and how she's giving up everything to help me and how she is so pretty … I pound the last of my beer and decide I have to go to her. My sensible side has been quieted by the alcohol.

Hailing a cab, I hop inside and give the driver Leena's adress. _You'll just talk some sense into her,_ I tell myself. This seems perfectly reasonable.

When we pull up in front of Leena's small, yellow house- I've been here only a couple times- I pay the cabbie and get out. As I walk up to her door, I shush all the second thoughts I've been having and knock loudly.

A few seconds pass and then I hear her walk to the door. "Lewis?" Leena says when she opens the door. She seems a little unstable and her voice is just the tiniest but slurred.

"Hey," I responds, pushing through her and into the foyer.

"What are you doing here?"

Her house is neat and orderly and reeks of alcohol. I don't know what to say, so I spin and face her, asking, "Why did you quit?"

Leena looks a little taken aback and then sits down on her couch. "Lewis," she says, "I … I'm attracted to you, okay? I like you. And, based on what you said, you kind of like me, too. But you're married, and you have a baby girl. I'm … I'm trying to be a good person. I can't put myself in your environment and expect everything to be okay."  
I pace back and forth and then notice a kid on his bike outside on the sidewalk. Closing the curtains, I turn back to Leena. "Leen," I say, "that was a high-paying job. What are you going to do now? You can't just quit because of some drunk kiss!"

Leena pushes her hair back. "Who's to say we're not going to make the same mistake again?" she asks. "You're drunk right now!"

"Well," I defend myself, "so are you!"

She stands up, angry. "I've had a lot on my mind!"

"So have I!"

Walking over to me, Leena puts her hands on her hips. "I quit, Lewis, because I was trying to do what I think is right. You have no right to come here and make me second guess myself!"

I stared down at her face, aware of how close we were, and then pulled her into me, lifting her off her feet and letting her throw her arms around me. Leena's lips are soft and warm as she kisses me, and, almost immediately, I throw her down on the couch and crawl on top. Leena unbuttons my shirt and then we continue to kiss, and I know it's wrong but I can't stop, no, I don't want to stop!

After pulling off her own shirt, Leena grips my hair, I can smell the flowery smell of her perfume. Her breasts are heavy and full and bigger than Cleo's and I unclasp her bra, flinging it across the room.

I continue to kiss her, feeling myself get harder and harder, and then cry out as she suddenly grips my dick. I slip out of my pants and boxers before I even know what I'm doing and then unbutton her jeans, sliding them off her legs. Now there is only Leena's underwear keeping us from each other and I literally rip those away, so that we're both naked and shaking and then I begin to suck on her breast and finger her. Her skin is a perfect golden brown color and I can't contain myself and so I position our bodies and push inside of her. Leena cries out in pain and pleasure and I keep thrusting and thrusting, feeling my drunk self loosing all control and then I pull out at the last second and come. Leena lays, panting, on the couch, her body slick with sweat. We look at each other for a long time and then she climbs on top of me, and we start all over, like kids who just can't get enough of each other, and we keep going and going until I pass out.

Hours later, and I don't know how many, I wake up.

At first, I'm disoriented. It seems late and the room is unfamiliar and I can't really remember where I am. But then I turn, and I see her.

Leena is asleep on the couch, naked and sweaty. I look down and realize that I, too, am not dressed, and then stand, a wave of nausea overcoming me. _Oh my God,_ I think, remembering everything. _Oh, my God._

I can't keep the tears in. I guess I should've known something like this would happen if I came here, drunk, but … I _had_ been drunk. I hadn't been thinking clearly. _You were when you went to the bar!_ my mind screams. _And don't lie to yourself, you weren't_ that _drunk!_

I put one hand over my mouth and cry, unable to control myself. _You're a cheater,_ I tell myself. _Like those guys in movies you thought you'd never become. You're a cheater._

 _Cleo doesn't have to know!_ my mind says loudly. I know this is incredibly wrong and deceitful and just _horrible,_ but … I don't think I can handle the repercussions of what I've just done. I don't think I'm strong enough.

I put on my clothes and then leave, careful not to wake Leena. I walk a ways back to the bar, and, after checking my phone, realize it's later than I thought. I should've been home hours ago.

When I get back to the bar and hop into my car, I can't slow my heart. This is going to kill me. I can't believe I was so _fucking_ stupid!

Eventually, I get home. Walking up to our door, I take out my keys and unlock it.

 _Just don't tell her,_ I think, _just focus on being the best husband and father there is._

But, as soon as I see Cleo, I know things aren't right.

She is sitting at the kitchen table, all the lights off but the one right above her, and her face is pale and sweaty. We make eye contact.

"Lewis," she says. And then her face breaks and she begins to sob, and I know that she knows.


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50- Cleo's POV

I'm just cleaning up around the house when the doorbell rings. Looking at Isla with raised eyebrows, I say out loud, "Who could that be?"

My little baby, who is playing with her blocks on the floor, giggles and claps. I smile at her and walk to the door.

"Hello?" I say, opening it. On our porch is a blonde boy about Kim's age. He looks worried and preoccupied. "Can I help you?"

"Cleo," he says, "It's me, Eliot."

My face breaking into a smile, I hug him. "Eliot!" I say, "Come in! Geez, it's been a long time."

Eliot nods and follows me into the living room. Looking at him suspiciously, Isla crawls to me and I lift her. "She's cute," remarks Eliot, and I thank him. "How old is she?"

"A little over nine months," I respond. Eliot nods again.

"So," I say, sitting down on the couch and gesturing for him to the same. "What brings you here?"

Eliot taps his foot, like a nervous tick, and doesn't meet my eye. I'm a little confused and shift Isla.

"Cleo," he says, "I know this is weird and unexpected and that you haven't even seen me in years, but I'm gonna try to do what's right, even though it might be shocking to you."

Shaking my head at him, I say, "I don't understand. What do you have to tell me?"

There is a long silence, and then Eliot speaks. "About a week ago, I was at a bar with some of my friends from Uni, and I noticed that Lewis was there with some of his coworkers."

I nod, remembering that night and the fight that led to it. Isla whines and I rock her gently.

"Well, I saw that he was pretty drunk- I wasn't- and then I saw him go talk to this black lady with long, curly hair. The only reason I noticed is because I was planning on going to say hi to him."

My heart begins to beat faster. "That would be Leena," I say. "They're friends."

Eliot nods, and then brings his head down and sighs. "Well … I, um, I saw them … kiss. Well, more like … make out."

I feel every part of me go cold and try to comprehend what Eliot just said.

"I knew they were drunk and they immediately stopped and seemed really freaked out and the the girl left. When Lewis left, I told him that I'd seen him but I wouldn't mention it because it honestly seemed like a stupid, drunk mistake … but today, when I was riding my bike I noticed Lewis getting out of a cab and going into someone's house. Once they were inside, I rode up and sort of checked through the window, and it was Lewis and that same girl. Lewis saw me and closed the curtains, but I don't think he recognized me … he seemed drunk again … so I thought I should just tell you."

I nod, slowly. _It was a drunk mistake,_ I repeat in my mind. _A mistake … but then why was he there today?!_

 _He must have had a good reason. He must have._ I cannot even consider the alternative. I'm in a daze as Eliot leaves, and, even though I must've shown him out, I don't remember it. I only remember waiting and waiting for Lewis to come home, but he never does. Long after he would've gotten back from work, I call him. There's no answer.

Stupidly, stupidly, I call Leena. My fingers sort of move without my consent and then it's ringing and then she picks up. I say nothing.

"Cleo." Leena's voice is raw and terrified. "I'm so sorry." I hear her crying on the other end.

"How long?" I whisper into the phone.

"Just this once."

It takes all my strength to choke out the next question. "Did you … sleep with him?"

There is a long silence. "Yes."

I can't do this. I can't!

Hanging up the phone, I put Isla in her crib and then sit down at the kitchen table, turning on the light above me. It has suddenly gotten very dark.

A while later, I hear the door open and close.

Lewis walks in looking god awful. I feel everything in me shatter as I see my beautiful, wonderful, cheating, liar of a husband.

"Lewis," I say, and I want to hurtle every mean thing in my mind at him, but instead I can only cry.


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51- Changing POVs

Lewis's POV

I walk over to Cleo, my hands shaking. She is crying silently, the worst type.

"Cleo," I say, kneeling next to her, "Cleo, Cleo, I am so incredibly sorry."

She shakes her head and tries to breathe. "Eliot came and told me about the other night, and-and he said he saw you today, and I kept saying you must have a-a-a reason, but then I called _Leena_ when you weren't coming home and she- she told me about-" unable to continue, Cleo puts her head down against the wood of our table, her whole body shaking.

"Oh, baby, oh, Cleo, I can't even _tell_ you how horrible I feel! I was so, so _stupid,_ I-I …"

There is nothing more for me to say and I start to cry, too.

"Do you love her?" Cleo asks suddenly, her face terrified. I understand how hard this must have been for her to even consider and know that I can't lie.

"Cleo," I say, "I don't love her. If we're being honest, I … I'm attracted to her." Cleo's lips begin to tremble again. "But I don't love her. I think I have sort of a crush on her, which I know is horrible, but … I'm so sorry."

Cleo shakes her head and and stands, her frail body shaking. She's so thin and so beautiful and for the first time in a long time I feel that old, teenage love for her course through my body.

"Cleo," I say, "the only person I've ever loved is you."

She runs a hand through her hair. "I don't want this, Lewis!" she exclaims. "I don't want to have to live through this pain, but I- I don't know what to _do!"_

I press my fingers into my eyes. "Neither do I," I admit, "but I can promise that it will never, ever, _ever_ happen again. I swear to you, I swear to God! I swear on Isla's life!"

Cleo's POV

As if on cue, Isla begins to scream from her bedroom. Lewis go to get her but I stop him. "Don't touch her!" I shouts, and then I walk into the nursery and picks up our daughter, breathing in her soft smell.

I hold Isla to my chest and kiss the top of her head, trying to figure out what on earth to do. I can't stop this wild feeling from spreading in my chest- I'm losing it!

Lewis stands in the living room, waiting.

"Lewis," I say, "I know that you say this won't happen again, but … how can I trust you?!"

Crying, my husband runs a hand through his hair. "I … I'm so sorry, Cleo."

I try to stay calm as I bounce Isla. "Lewis …" I eventually say, "I … I think it would be best if slept out here, tonight. I … I'm still trying to wrap my mind around this, and, um, I'm going to try and get passed this and try and trust you again, for Isla, and … because I love you, but … it's gonna take time. Please just sleep out here tonight. We can talk tomorrow."

Lewis says nothing I don't wait for him to. I just walk into my bedroom with Isla, grabbing her crib and bring it in with us. She is sleepy and warm and, for a long while, I just hold her to my chest and cry.


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52- Rikki's POV

I pace the room nervously, braiding and unbraiding my hair. Zane puts his hands on my shoulders.

"Hey," he says, rubbing my back, "it's gonna be okay."

I nod but don't speak. Today, Zane's dad and the current Mrs. Bennett are coming over. Zane invited them, because, well …

Zane's dad doesn't know that we ever got back together. All those years ago, when we did start dating again, we both agreed it would be better not tell him. All Mr. Bennett ever did for our relationship was cause problems, but, now that we're getting married, Zane really felt like he should get back in contact with his dad. I know he's right, but I'm certainly not looking forward to that disapproving glare again.

"Zane," I say, "Are you sure he really needs to know?" I fake smile, knowing the answer.

"I know my dad and I don't have the best relationship," my boyfriend says, tucking some hair behind my ear and maintaining eye contact with me, "but I want him to be at my wedding, or at least have the chance to."

I nod and look at my feet.

"And if he doesn't like you, who cares?" Zane continues. "He's just a stubborn old man. What matters is that I like you. More than that, actually. I love you."

With these words, Zane slowly tips my chin towards him and leans in, kissing me softly. I gingerly put my arms around his neck and he wraps _his_ arms around waist, bringing me closer to him. My stomach is alive with butterflies and I smile, so completely aware of the fact that a lot of people, in nearly nine years of dating, lose this magical feeling. But not Zane and I. He deepens our kiss and I arch my back a little, opening my mouth to allow his tongue in.

Just then, however, the doorbell rings. Zane pulls away and sighs, then kisses the top of my head and takes my hand, walking to the door.

Mr. Bennett is standing there, more silver-foxish than I remember but otherwise the same. Beside him is a woman who is, surprisingly, about his own age, with red hair and brown eyes. She smiles at me.

"Zane!" Mr. Bennett booms, hugging his son in a manish way. I step back, uncomfortable.

After they hug, Zane and his father walk into our living room and take a seat. The redhead and I follow, both sitting next to our significant others.

"So, son, what's the occasion?" Harrison asks. "And who's this beauty?" He gestures to me and I blush. It figures that he wouldn't even remember me.

"Dad," Zane responds, "this is Rikki. You remember her. We dated as teenagers."

Recognition washes over his face and then it falls. "Oh," he says. "Rikki, why of course. Oh, and this is Hannah."

The redhead smiles at us.

"Well, Dad, Rikki and I …" Zane begins, smiling widely. He takes my hand. "We're getting married."

Harrison looks shocked. "What?" he sputters. "How long have you even been back together? A few months?"

Looking almost crestfallen, Zane shakes his head. "Almost six years, Dad."

"Okay, well that doesn't mean you should just rush into marriage!"

In disbelief, Zane stands. "Dad," he says, "I thought you would be happy for me!"

Standing as well, Harrison runs a hand through his hair. "I am, Zane, I'm just not sure if this is the best idea."

I would've been mad, but I'd seen this coming. Of course Zane's rich, snobby father wouldn't approve of his son marrying me. It's only to be expected.

Hannah looks confused and I wonder if she's ever seen this side of her husband before. Probably not. She seems sensible enough not to marry a man like this.

Trying to remain calm, Zane takes a deep breath. "Dad," he eventually says, "I think you should just go. If you some to your senses, give me a call, but until then … just don't bother."

Harrison scoffs and leaves, barking at Hannah to follow him. She stands hurriedly. "I- I'm so sorry," she stutters, and then follows him out the door.

Shaking, Zane throws a few choice words at the door and then turns to me. "Can you believe him? 'I don't think that is a good idea.' I mean, who does he think he is?!"

I stand and take his hand. "I know," I say, "it sucks. But just, please try not to think about it. Our wedding is in two months. I want everything to be happy."

Softening a little, Zane strokes my hair. "I'm sorry," he says, "that my father is such an ass to you. He must be crazy not to see what a blessing you are."

I smile and kiss his cheek. "How did I get so lucky?" Zane asks.

"Well," I say, smirking, "we're not married yet. Don't count your chickens before they hatch."

"What does that mean?"

"I'm just saying, if you don't _prove_ how much you love me, I could always decide I don't want to get married …" I say this playfully, walking towards the bedroom slowly. Zane grins.

"Oh," he says, "you want me to prove it?"

I shrug and then scream as Zane, in two long strides, walks to me and lifts me in the air. Laughing, I wiggle out of his arms and run into our room. Zane follows me and then we close the door with a gentle click and the real fun begins.


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53- Bella's POV

I stand in the bathroom, my hair tied back messily and my face pale.

I've just thrown up, retching for twenty minutes before feeling well enough to move away from the toilet. Will is already out diving- he's found a really good sponsor and we're actually making a fair amount of money with that and his part-time job at the harbor. I'm glad he's not home, he would only get worried. Percy slept through my vomiting, thank god, so there's no one to fuss.

Except me, that is.

This is the third day in a row I've woken up sick, and I've been sick off-and-on for almost three weeks now. I am freaking out just a little, because, even though I know this is crazy, Percy brought me very bad morning sickness.

 _Calm down,_ I tell myself, _you got pregnant last time because you and Will forgot to use a condom and you weren't on very birth control … now you take the pill everyday. You're fine._

I can't deny the tenderness of my breasts, however, or my increase in appetite. Or the fact that my period is a few days late … _You're not pregnant,_ I think unsurely, _but just get a test … just to be sure._

Almost shaking, I go into my bedroom and put on a pair of jean shorts and a white tank top. I'm probably psyching myself out, but the clothes feel the tiniest bit tighter than usual.

I hear Percy start to whine, grab my bag and head to his room. "Hi," I say, "hi, little man."

I scoop him into my arms and check his diaper, before giving him a bottle and walking to the car. My baby is warm and soft and perfect-smelling in my arms and he giggles at something, pointing as we walk by. I laugh.

Strapping him into his carseat, I pull out of the driveway, trying to ignore the nervous flutter in my stomach. _You're on the pill,_ I remind myself.

I pull into the pharmacy and get Percy out of the back. He throws his arms around me tightly as if we'd been apart for years and I absentmindedly kiss the top of his head.

Walking into the store, I head quickly to where the tests are and buy the highest quality ones I can find. I don't look at the cashier because I feel her judging me- who needs pregnancy tests when they have a baby under a year old?

Percy is turning eight months in a few days. If I am pregnant- which I'm _not-_ that means he'll be about a year and seven months old when the baby is born. I mean, I guess I must be at least a month along _if_ I'm pregnant, so then he'd be a year and a half. That's not awful … I mean, it could be worse, I guess …

But I'm not pregnant, so who cares?

I rush back to the car and get everything situated before driving home, trying to be fast but also as cautious as ever. I go upstairs and run into Rikki on the way.

"Hey, Bells," she says with a grin. I smile but hope she doesn't talk for too long. "And hello, Mr. Percy."

Percy claps his hands and extends his arms towards Rikki. He loves her. Besides me and Will, Rikki is the only person whom Percy will be held by.

"Oh, sorry, little dude, but I gotta run," she says, and I internally sigh in relief. "You okay, Bella? You look worried."

"Oh, I'm fine," I say a little too quickly. Rikki looks unconvinced but leaves anyway. I finally get into my apartment.

"Okay, baby, everything's okay. We're good," I tell Percy, putting him into his crib.

"Why wouldn't things be okay?" I hear from behind me, and spin around, clutching my chest.

Will is standing in the doorway. "Will!" I breathe, "when did you get home?"

"A few minutes ago. Training ended early," he explains, running a hand through his hair. "So … why wouldn't things be okay."

I let out this airy little laugh, hiding the tests behind my back, and say, "No reason! I just always talk to him like that … he gets worried sometimes, poor little guy."

Will, like Rikki did, looks unconvinced, and so I blurt out, "I've got to go to the bathroom!" and rush past him.

In the other room, I sit on the toilet and stick the test between my legs. I can't pee for a long time, and every second gets me a little more nervous. _You are_ not _pregnant!_ I think harshly, but then a tiny little voice inside me argues, _But what if you are?_

When I'm done, I stand and wait the required time, and then about a minute more.

Finally, I look at the test.

There, right on the stick, is a little pink plus.

The breath is knocked out of me. _No,_ I think desperately, _this can't be happening!_

"Bella?" Will knocks on the door. "You okay in there?"

I try to remain calm but I'm getting light-headed and sit on the toilet. _Breathe,_ I remind myself. But my mind is spinning. _How can you be pregnant?! You take the pill everyday! God, oh my God, how are we gonna afford this? Is it even worth it? Can I keep this baby? Oh, Lord …_

I begin to cry, the tears spilling over onto my red cheeks. The door opens.

"Bella, honey, what's wrong?" Will exclaims, kneeling on the ground in front of me upon seeing my tear-ridden face.

I can't tell him, instead I just hold out the positive test and bury my head in my hands.

Will is silent for a long, long time. Eventually, he whispers the question, "You're pregnant?"

I nod, not looking up. Again, there is quiet.

"Bella," he says after a minute, and I look up. He is crying, too. I don't know what is going to come next. I have literally no idea what he could say.

"Bella."

He repeats my name and I stare at him, beginning to cry harder. "I'm on the pill," I say tearfully, "I take it everyday! I don't know why this happened!"

Will stares at me, his blue eyes wide and scared. I feel awful. "I'm so sorry," I choke, wrapping my arms around myself.

Taking my hand, Will gently brings me off the toilet so that we're kneeling next to each other and brings his arms around me, stroking my hair. I feel him shaking.

"You have nothing to be sorry about," he breathes, his voice nearly a whisper. "You take the pill everyday. This was a medical fluke. Nothing you could have done."

I shake my head against his chest and try to catch my breath.

"What happened, though, Bells? Do you have any idea? I mean, I don't know, honey …" Tears begin to fall freely from his eyes. "We don't make that much money, and Percy is so, so young … I don't if we can keep this baby …"

He looks like it's breaking his heart to say these words but I agree. How can we keep it?

The next day, Will and I are sitting in the doctor's office. It is the same obstetrician who I saw while I was expecting Percy.

"Bella, Will, come in," she says, ushering us into her office. "So, you're expecting again? So soon?"

I stare at her. "Dr. Ly," I begin, "we have some questions to ask you."

The tall, Vietnamese woman sits down, smoothing some of her hair behind her ear. "Go ahead," she says.

"Well, as you know, Percy is only eight months old. And, I've been taking birth control every day, so we were not planning this pregnancy. I mean, how could this have happened?!" I'm trying to remain level-headed.

Dr. Ly raises her eyebrows. "Well," she says, a little taken aback, "you did have a lot complications with your first pregnancy. That probably released some unusual hormones, and, as birth control is just a mixture of hormones that prevent ovulation, imbalanced hormones would make for faulty birth control."

Will gets a little red in the face. "Why did nobody tell us about this?!" he exclaimed. Dr. Ly remains calm.

"Well, Mr. Benjamin, it's rare for the birth control to get neutralized completely. And even more rare for Bella to be able to get pregnant again after the damage to her uterus last time around."

I look down into my lap. I do remember being told I probably wouldn't be able to have more children in the hospital, but I was so out of it.

"Bella, may I give you an ultrasound?" I nod blankly and walk to the table.

After the gel and everything, the little picture of our baby pops up on the screen. I try not to look at it.

"Well, your uterus is still pretty damaged, Bella," Dr. Ly says. "I know this is hard to hear, but this baby will probably result in miscarriage. It looks like the DOC was about a month ago, so if this baby doesn't make it, it will probably occur within the next two months. Even if you do make it through that period, however, it could still be delivered stillborn. On top of this, the baby will probably be really hard on your body. You're already very weak from Percy. Now, if you chose to have an abortion, you'll have to chose before you hit twenty-four weeks. Right now you are three and a half weeks along, so you have a while to decide."

I'm trying to digest all this information when Will speaks up. "Can Bella have anymore children, after this?" he asks. Dr. Ly looks at us sadly.

"I'm afraid that there is about a 95% chance she won't," she says.

I slide off the table and walk back to Will. He takes my hand. "Okay," he says, "I think we just need some time to think about all this."

They exchange some more words but I don't really hear. All I can think of is the tiny baby inside me that is already in so much danger. And the fact that it is my last chance.

 **Hey guys!**

 **I wrote a lot today, since it was a snow day and I wanted to get up to where I had planned. Please please PLEASE let me know what you think of all the plots in the reviews!**

 **Yours as always**

 **DA**


	54. Chapter 54

**Hey guys! Thank you all so so much for the incredible feedback recently! It's been such a nice feeling knowing that you all really like this story and I'm so excited to see where it goes! If anyone has any suggestions, please leave them in the reviews and I will really try and work them in!**

 **DA**

Chapter 54- Emma's POV

I sit on my couch and leaf through a magazine, waiting. Just then, my phone buzzes and I check the lock screen. A text from Byron

 _Hey,_ it reads, _want to hang out later?_

 _Sorry,_ I respond, _I have plans with the girls today:( Tomorrow maybe?_

 _Sounds perfect_

 _Great. See you then._

I smile to myself and turn of my phone just as the doorbell rings. Jumping up, I get it in no time. Standing outside is Rikki, her hair down around her face.

"Hey, Em," she says happily, and I step aside to let her in. "What's up? Why'd you call us over?"

"Oh," I say, "I just … some weird stuff happened that I thought I should tell you all about." Rikki nods and sits down on on one of my chairs, adjusting her blue shirt as she does so.

A knock on the door sounds and I get it, happy to see Cleo on the other side this time. When I really look at her, however, I see that she looks really bad. Her hair is sort of greasy and pulled up in a messy bun, she's not wearing any makeup and the bags under her eyes are really dark. She's also holding Isla, who's squirming to get down. Cleo only tightens her grip however, and gives me a smile that looks a little forced before saying, "Hey, Em. Sorry about Isla, I just needed to bring her."

"It's not problem," I respond, and we walk in. Rikki greets Cleo and then she sits on the couch.

"Are you okay?" I ask the brunette, and she smiles at me again, but it seems like she didn't quite hear the question. I'm about to ask again when Bella knocks on the door and then lets herself in.

"Hey, guys," she says, her hair down around her face and wearing one of Will's sweatshirts and a pair of leggings.

"Hey, Bells," Rikki responds, and Cleo and I smile at her as she sits down.

"So," Rikki says after a second, "why are we here, Em?"

I sigh and reach into my pocket, bringing out the letter and tossing it on the table. _**Somebody knows about you who should not.**_

All three girls take a turn reading it, each one of them getting pale as they pass it on. "Who gave you this?" Bella asks.

"I don't know. I found it under my door about a month ago," I explain. I've been trying to get us all together since then but things just haven't lined up.

They all look at me, scared. Cleo, however, still seems distracted, holding Isla to her chest.

"Well, do you have any idea who could've sent it?" asks Rikki.

I sigh. "Um, the night before I found it, I went out to dinner with Byron. We saw Ash and his new girlfriend at the restaurant we were at, and, I mean, he seemed normal but we all know that things ended badly."

Bella nods and then closes her eyes, knitting her brows and putting one hand on her stomach briefly. "Hey, are you okay, Bella?" I ask.

"Yeah," she pants, rubbing her abdominal and taking deep breaths. "So," she continues, "you think it was Ash?"

"I don't know," I reply truthfully. "I mean, I hope not. But I also kind of hope so, you know? Because, if it is him, that means it's not some real threat. But it also means I spent four years of my life with a guy who was willing to threaten me the whole time."

They nod, and then Bella stands suddenly. "I've got to go to the bathroom," she says, walking away without a second word. I watch her go, a little confused. Cleo is staring off into space, stroking Isla's hair, and then the little girl begins to cry.

"Oh," Cleo whispers, "shh, it's okay, baby." She bounces her and then checks her diaper. "Emma," she says, "I'm so sorry, but is there a place I could change her?"

"Yeah," I say, standing and leading her into the spare room. Inside, there is an old bookshelf that rises to about my waist and is about two feet wide. I've covered it with a blanket. When you have two best friends and frequent visitors who have small children, you take these precautions. "Thanks so much, Em," Cleo says, placing Isla on the shelf and beginning to take off her little leggings.

"Hey," I say, touching her shoulder. "Are you alright? You seem out of it."

Cleo looks at me and then shuts her eyes and runs a hand through her hair. "Yeah," she says. "There's just a lot going on right now. I'll tell you and the girls later. I don't really feel like repeating the story three separate times."

I nod. "Okay," I say, and then walk back to the living room. As I pass the bathroom, Bella walks out, almost knocking into me.

"Oh," she says, surprised. "I'm sorry, Em."

"No worries," I reply, and we go back to Rikki. I notice that Bella is a little paler than she had been before going to the bathroom. Her hair is pulled back, now.

We make small talk until Cleo comes back. "Sorry," she says, sitting. "Isla was being so fussy."

The three of us all stay silent for a second until I say, "Well, that's about all I called you over for. I don't really know what I'm going to do. I'm just gonna wait and see what happens."

Rikki nods and Bella smiles at me. Cleo takes a deep breath.

"Guys," she says. "I need to talk to you about something … really hard."

We all look at her, concerned. Shutting her eyes, Cleo continues. "Lewis … um, he slept with another woman."

Her words were so quiet that I'm not sure I heard right. But even if Cleo had screamed, I would've been just as confused. Lewis? Sleep with somebody besides Cleo? Not possible!

"What?" Rikki asks, her face red. "What do you mean? Who?"

Her lower lip trembling, Cleo lowers her head. "Leena," she whispers. We all blanch.

Leena, the beautiful, funny, intelligent scientist who's worked with Lewis for years. Leena, who's going through a bad divorce. Cleo has welcomed Leena into her home on multiple occasions. Has given her food, insisted she take some home. Isla has played with Leena. We've all shared a drink with her. In fact, we've all considered her sort of a friend.

And now … and now this. Leena and Lewis. Having an affair.

"Oh," Bella sighs. "Oh, God, Cleo." Shaking her head, Cleo tries not to cry.

"Eliot told me," she says, and I look up sharply. What has Eliot got to do with all this?

"He was at the bar when Lewis and Leena, um … kissed. And he said they were drunk and that it probably wasn't anything, but then … he saw, um, Lewis go to Leena's house. And he told me. When I called Leena, she said that they … slept together."

I stare at her. "How long ago was this?"

"Almost three weeks."

Rikki stands and sits on the couch next to Cleo. "Hey," she says. "Are you okay? Like, how are you handling things?"

Cleo shifts Isla. "I don't know," she whispers. "I … I can't look at him, anymore. I mean, He's been sleeping out on the couch and going to work before I wake up, like normal. So we only see each other during dinner, and he tries to talk to me and apologize again and again … but I don't know what to say to him. I don't know how to think right, anymore."

"That's okay," I say. "That's normal. He did a very, very bad thing. And you have every right to be angry with him."

"I," she says, her voice weak, "I just … I don't want to leave him, you know? I can't. I … I love him so much. More than I can even explain. And I can't raise Isla alone, I can't. But, I mean, how can I trust him again?"

We all nod. And then Cleo gently strokes Isla's hair. "And I can't let him touch her," she whispers. "I'm afraid."

Finally, a tear slides down the side of Cleo's face. "He was drunk," she whispers. "You do what you want when you're drunk, without considering the consequences. He wanted Leena."

Bella stands. "No," she says. "He was drunk. He wasn't thinking."

"He told me he was attracted to her. That he had a crush on her. I mean, it makes sense. She's beautiful and womanly and I'm …"

I take Cleo's hand. "You are one of the most gorgeous women I've ever seen. Do you know how many guys I see checking you out wherever we go? Cleo, Lewis did something very bad. But it wasn't because of you. You are the best wife, mother, and just all around person there is. Lewis is crazy for hurting you like this."

Nodding, Cleo closes her eyes. "I'm just so tired," she says softly. "And I just wish it would all go away."

Rikki gently puts her arm around Cleo. "It will," she says. "It will get better. It will just take time."

Cleo nods again and then lets out a breathy laugh. "I'm sorry," she says, wiping her face, "that I'm being such a downer."

I shake my head. "No, it's okay. You're hurting. This is what you're supposed to do with your friends."

She gives me a watery smile.

"Geez," Rikki says, "it looks like Bella and I are the only one's who aren't feeling bad right now."

Bella looks down at her lap. "Actually," she whispers, "um, I … I'm pregnant."

What?! There is so much going _on_ right now!

"Oh my God," Cleo says, looking at her. "Was it planned?"

Shaking her head, Bella looks out the window. "I … apparently, there were a bunch of messed up hormones that got released when I had all the complications with Percy and they neutralized my birth control. I mean, it was really sort of crazy that I was even able to get pregnant again, according to my doctor, and the baby will probably miscarriage or come stillborn. But I won't be able to get pregnant again, after this, so I don't know what I want to do. Will and I don't make a lot of money, and things would be incredibly tight if we keep the baby. Also, the pregnancy will probably be really hard on me, and I will have a lot of trouble carrying it. So we would get an abortion, because that just makes the most sense right now, but this is our last chance. If we decide not to keep it, that's it."

She places both hands over her stomach. "Are you okay?" I ask.

Shrugging, Bella sighs. "I … I want this baby. I do. I want to give Percy a brother or sister, and I want to protect it and watch it grow. But … it's just gonna be so hard."

We nod and then Bella stands and walks to us, squeezing in on the couch. We all think our private thoughts and worry about our private worries. "At least," Cleo eventually says, "we have each other."

"Yeah," Rikki responds. "Some things never change."


	55. Chapter 55

**Hey guys!**

 **So thanks again for all the awesome reviews! I wish I could update more, but I really only have so much time. I think I'm going to mix up the order, since some of the story lines are going slow right now (Kim, Emma, Rikki) while others (Bella and Cleo) are more prevalent. After this chapter, which is just to wrap up the last cycle, I think I'm going to go in this order: Bella, Cleo/Lewis, Rikki, Bella, Emma, Cleo/Lewis, Kim. This is also going to be a short chapter, sorry!**

 **Tell me in the reviews if you think this is a good plan!**

Chapter 55- Kim's POV

Checking my bedside clock, I spring out of bed. It's ten-thirty. I told Casey I would meet her at eleven.

I quickly grab some shorts but frown when they're on. It's so hot, but my thighs are fully exposed and I … I can't have that. I can't go out like this.

And so I put on some sweatpants that hide my frame and a sweatshirt, before pulling my short hair into a pony-tail. Running downstairs, I bump into Sam on the way. "Sorry!" I exclaim.

"No worries. There's bagels, Kimmy, in the cabinet," she replies with a smile.

I shake my head. "I'm eating with Casey. Thanks, though!"

Sam nods and goes the rest of the way up the stairs as I shout goodbye to Dad and head out.

On the drive over, my phone buzzes. _Hey,_ the text from my girlfriend reads. _Here soon?_

It's eleven on the dot and I smirk. Casey always assumes I've gotten into a horrible car crash if I'm not on time to the second, which is problematic, considering I'm late for everything. As soon as I stop at light, I tell her I'll be there in five minutes. She responds with a smiley face.

When I pick up my phone to see this, a reminder pops up. _Doctor's today,_ it reads. I frown. Do I have a doctor's appointment that I've forgotten about? When I look at the date the reminder was set, I see it was about a year ago and figure this must be something I set as an annual thing. _Hmm,_ I muse. _What would I have been going to the doctor's for a year ago today?_

After a few minutes of mulling this over, I realize I probably was going to get the weight gain pills for the first time. That was when my weight had really started dropping. I'm about 177 cm, and, at the time, I was 8.5 stone, just underweight. I wonder how much weight now.

When I pull up to Casey's, I see her sisters, Rachel and Becca, coming out of the house. They're both older, and Becca has a daughter of her own. "Hey, Kim," they say as they see me, and then they hop into Rachel's car and zip away.

"Hi!" Casey exclaims from the front door, waving at me. I smile at her, excited to have the day to spend with each other.

"Do you want breakfast?" asks Casey as we walk in.

"No," I say, "I ate at my parent's. So, what do you want to do today? Anything planned?"

Looking over her shoulder at me, as we're headed down the hallway, Casey says no. "Geez," she goes on, "aren't you boiling in that?"

I smile at her and close the door to her bedroom behind us, as we've just walked in. "This is all I had clean," I explain, "but, besides, I don't think I'm going to be dressed for very long …"


	56. Chapter 56

Chapter 56- Bella's POV

I wake up slowly, trying to prolong the process as long as I can. I can already tell that today is not going to be a good day, and the more time I can spend in bed, the better.

I am about three months along. Percy just turned nine months old, and Isla's birthday is in a week. I hope I will be able to go to her party, but, at this rate, I just don't know.

Will is still asleep next to me, breathing in a soft, rhythmic fashion. I listen to him for a long time before checking the clock. It's only six in the morning. I try and will myself to fall asleep again but I can't, especially when the rising feeling of nausea arrives just on time. I sigh and get up, already feeling heavier, even though my weight hasn't changed significantly. Maybe my head is just heavier, with all this worry. I walk to the bathroom and throw up, holding back my own hair. Once I'm done, I stand and look at myself in the mirror.

Dark bags under my eyes, which are red and runny from lack of sleep. My lips are chapped. Turning sideways, I pull up my shirt and stand straight, looking at the curve of my stomach. It doesn't seem any different than it did yesterday, or the day before, or the day before … When I put my hand over it, however, I can almost feel the pulse of life growing within me.

My baby.

I replay Dr. Ly's words in my head. " _It's rare for the birth control to get neutralized completely. And even more rare for Bella to be able to get pregnant again after the damage to her uterus last time around."_ A miracle, really. A miracle baby. A once-in-a-lifetime chance. A one-in-a-million type kid.

Then again, Will doesn't make that much money. Enough for me, him, and Percy, sure, but not for a second, newborn baby. Not for twice the diapers and mashed peaches and little, tiny onesies and highchairs and car seats. And I already have splitting headaches most days, on top of abdominal pain, tiredness, lack of appetite, and nausea. Dr. Ly told me that the remainder of the pregnancy is just going to get worse, and I'm only at 12 weeks right now. To top it all off, even if we do decide to keep this child, there's a very high chance that he or she won't survive.

Actually, I'm pretty much out of my first trimester, and so the chance of miscarriage has been greatly lessened. I haven't experienced any bleeding- except, of course, for the spotting that comes with almost all pregnancies- and Dr. Ly says the baby is developing normally. Now, the only big fear I have is delivering it stillborn.

These kinds of internal debates have become a regular thing for me. My conclusion, however, is always the same.

Despite everything- the money, the risk, the pain- I want this baby. I want it so bad it hurts. I want to feel it's little tiny body in my arms, so warm and loving and trusting. I want to watch Percy play with it, I want to watch them grow up together. And, maybe, I wouldn't feel so strongly if this weren't my last opportunity. There's 95% chance that if I abort this baby, I won't have another one. So this is it.

After running all of this through my head, I hear Percy start to whimper. I sigh and walk to get him. By this point, it's close to 6:45. As I approach Percy's crib, he quiets immediately. Just my presence calms him.

"Hi, baby," I whisper, picking him up and holding him close to my chest. Percy wraps his arms around my neck and breathes in and out in little gasps, his face still hot and red from tears. Quickly, I change him- there's no fuss today- and then bring him to the kitchen and set him in the red, plastic booster seat we bought almost a year ago. I feed him breakfast and drink some coffee. I really don't feel like food, but I know I have to eat, and so I toast a bagel and eat it with cream cheese. By the time I'm finished, Percy is squirming to be released from his chair, and so I set him down in his play area.

Just then, Will comes out of the bedroom. It's only seven, but I can tell he feels bad for "sleeping in."

"Hey," he says, walking to me and kissing my cheek. "How long have you been up?"

"Not long," I reply. It's not entirely untrue. An hour isn't that long.

Percy squeals when he sees his daddy and claps his hands before raising his arms in the air, signaling that he wants to be held. Will begins to walk over, and Percy crawls to meet him, a development that we've happily embraced. Once Will pick him up, he walks back to me.

"How are you today?" my boyfriend asks, gently brushing some hair out of my face. I smile at him.

"I'm good." This time, there's no denying the lie. My head is already pounding, I'm a little too dizzy for comfort, and I'm so tired. "I'm gonna take Percy to go grocery shopping while you dive."

"Today is my day off," Will says back. Oh, right. I know that. "I'll come with you, just let me shower and get dressed."

I nod and work on getting myself ready while he does this. I leave my hair down but brush it out first, and then put on a loose, pale lilac sundress that floats around my body. It's bright out today, and my head hurts even here in that dark of our apartment, so I put a straw sunhat and a pair of sandals before meeting Will out in the living room. He's wearing a pair of khaki shorts and a tee-shirt. "Here," he says, taking my bag, "I'll carry that."

I don't object and follow him out to our car, situating Percy in his car seat before hopping into the passenger's side. Will takes the wheel and I watch the buildings pass us, broken up by stretches of the sparkling beach. I wonder if the baby is a girl. If she'll have powers, just like Isla.

"Will," I eventually say, "you know, we have to buy Percy a bigger car seat soon. And a bigger crib. If we keep … the baby, then all Percy's old stuff could go to it. And we still have all his baby clothes- even if it's a girl, most of it is unisex anyway. And, so what if she wears a shirt with a t-rex on it? Anyway … I guess that's it. I don't know. I was just thinking."

Will nods his head but doesn't respond. I don't know what he thinks about this whole thing. I have a feeling he doesn't want to tell me what he's thinking because, ultimately, it's my decision. If I don't want the baby, he wouldn't want to guilt me into it. And if I do, but he doesn't … well, that's another issue entirely.

We pull up in front of Woolworth's and get out of the car. I grab Percy and we buckle him into a cart before starting to do our shopping.

While we're in the produce aisle, however, I'm overcome by a wave of lightheadedness and sit down on the floor, drawing my knees up to my chest. Distantly, I hear Will talking to me and maybe a few others, but I'm only focused on my breathing. After a minute of two, the ringing in my ears subsides and I can think again. Looking up, I realize I've drawn quite the crowd.

A few, concerned old women, a middle-aged woman and her teenage daughter, and one young man all watch me. Will is kneeling down in front of me, Percy in his arms. I smile tentatively at them all, embarrassed.

"Are you okay?" Will asks, his face pale with worry.

"Yes," I assure him, pushing myself off the ground, "I just got dizzy." Will rushes to help me stand and the crowd slowly disperses. I catch the teenage girl staring at me a little longer than all the rest. She has red hair pulled in a short ponytail and a scattering of freckles. Her blue eyes seem sympathetic and she gives me a small smile before rushing after her mother.

"Well, let's go to the doctor," Will says, sweat on his forehead.

"No," I respond calmly, "really, I'm fine."

"I'll just call now and explain," my boyfriend continues, not listening to me. I catch his arm as he brings his phone to his ear and force him to look at me.

"Will," I say, "I'm okay. Really. I was just a little dizzy. But there's no pain, no bleeding. I'm probably just dehydrated. I have a water bottle in the car. I'll go wait there, while you two finish shopping."

Staring at me, Will finally draws my body into his and hugs me tight. I can feel him shaking. "I was so scared."

I nod against him. "I know."

"Do you promise you'll go to the doctor's if it happens again?"

"I promise."

After walking me to the car, Will goes back into the store with Percy and a very strict list of what to buy. I sit with my head leaned against the window, dozing in the heat. My head is full of half-dreams about baby mermaids and the moonpool and, suddenly, pools of blood.

I jolt awake as Will opens the back door. "Hey," he says, "sorry to have startled you."

"Oh, I'm fine," I reply, and then turn to watch him put Percy down. Will then places our groceries in the trunk, before getting back into the front seat. He looks at me.

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine," I reply, "I slept a while. I'm okay now."

Closing his eyes, Will leans back in his seat. "Bella," he says, "I was so scared in there. Scared that there was something wrong … with the baby. Scared that we were going to lose it."

I nod, silent.

"And I don't want to pressure you or anything, but," Will chokes on his words. "I want this baby so much."


	57. Chapter 57

**For Percy, search _nine month baby boy_ on google images and the first image is the one I think of. **

**For Isla, search _one year old baby_ and the first and second images are the ones I think of. **

**For Casey, search** _ **smiling hispanic young adult woman in armchair**_ **and the first image is the one I think of.**

 **Hey guys the stuff above is just to help get a picture in your heads. I couldn't figure out how to insert links (yes I tried copy and past but it was messed up) or actual photos, so this is the best I could do. Enjoy!**

 **DA**

Chapter 58- Cleo's POV

Running around the house, I make sure everything is perfect one more time. Balloons- check. Streamers- check. Cake- check. Not that Isla can really eat it very well yet, but the guests will enjoy it. The guests, who should be here any minute. Well, the party technically doesn't start for a half hour, but some people might be early, and you have to prepared for that. If everyone who said they were coming ends up making it, we should have fourteen people in the house. Rikki and Zane, Emma and Byron, Bella, Will and Percy, Kim and Casey, Dad and Sam, Lewis, Isla, and me.

Speaking of Emma, the doorbell rings just now. I assume it's her, considering she said she would come around ten thirty to help set up. I don't really need any help, but she insisted.

"Hi, Em," I say, opening the door and giving her a hug. Emma is party-ready, wearing nice, white capris and a navy blue blouse. I, on the other hand, have my hair up in a wild bun, a pair of grey sweatpants on, and a black tank top. I'm a little self-conscience, since I'm pretty thin (especially since the whole Lewis/Leena thing) but it's Emma, so I don't really care.

"Hey, Cleo," the blonde responds, and then walks in. Isla, who is sitting on the couch eating cheerios, claps her hands, excited to see "aunt" Emma. "And hello, birthday girl," coos Emma. She kisses Isla's head and I walk to the baby, scooping her up in my arms and giving her a raspberry. She giggles and squirms.

"Oh," I say, "who's my big girl?! A whole year old today! It's crazy, isn't it, Em?"

Nodding, Emma agrees. "It feels like just yesterday we were at Mako and your water broke." A pause. "Where's … Lewis?"

"He's out getting some last minute stuff," I reply casually, but even the slightest mention of his name bristles me. Emma may or may not notice. If she does, she doesn't say anything.

We continue to set up until ten minutes until before the party, when Emma tells me that she'll finish and I should go get dressed. Agreeing, I take Isla into my bedroom and set her down on the bed.

"Here, baby," I say, handing her a teething ring while I take off my shirt. I quickly and absentmindedly pull a yellow sundress over my head and then taking off my sweatpants underneath. Looking into the mirror, I frown. Even with the sundress, I look tired and messy. I run a brush through my hair and rub some concealer under my eyes. Not quite yet, I think. I put on light mascara and red lipstick, along with a flower pin the same color as my dress. Now I look presentable.

I walk back out and find Emma sitting with Rikki on the couch. "Oh," I say, putting Isla down, "I'm sorry I wasn't out, sooner." Rikki waves me off and I give her a quick hug.

"You look nice," Emma compliments me. I smile and brush back some of my hair.

Just then, the doorbell rings. Emma starts to get up, but I insist and walk to the foyer by myself. Standing there is Zane, with a pink-and-blue wrapped present in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other. "Hi, Zane," I say, standing on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek. He hands me the wine and I thank him.

"So," says Zane, "I didn't know this party was going to be such a rave." He gestures towards the empty, toddler-toy filled sitting area. I roll my eyes with a smile and lead him to the den. Once we're there, Emma waves and Zane sits down next to Rikki, putting one arm around her shoulder.

Finally, Lewis walks in with some more balloons and a gallon of ice cream. We make eye contact and then a sad sort of silence fills the room, before Zane stands up and shakes Lewis's hand. They exchange a few pleasantries before Bella, Percy, and Will arrive.

Bella is wearing a blue sweater and a pair of leggings. She's almost four months along, and she's actually showing by a couple of inches. I don't know if they're keeping the baby, but I also don't know what I would do in their position. I have nothing against abortion, and, if this wasn't their last chance, I'd probably advise them to get rid of it. But this isn't just some normal accidental pregnancy.

They all greet me, and then my Dad and Sam arrive. The two babies are playing together on the rug and Bella is watching them sort of happily, the tiniest smile playing on her lips. I'm smiling back by the time Kim and Casey arrive, and, by then, we're in full party mode. Everyone is mingling and talking and laughing, and I'm happy, for a minute, that I have such great friends and family to spend my daughter's first birthday with. I watch Kim and Casey laugh with Zane and Rikki, who can't help but remind Kim how annoying she was when we were all kids. Kim blushes and grins. I'm kind of annoyed with her right now, actually, because she keeps getting food and then throwing it away, but I don't say anything because who really cares.

I wonder if Zane and Will know about Lewis and Leena. I wouldn't mind if they did, as long as my Dad never finds out.

About halfway through the party, I notice that Lewis is bouncing Isla on his lap and feel my stomach tighten. I haven't really let him hold her since everything happened. I mean, obviously he's held her, but mostly when I'm not around (although I've only recently started letting her alone with him.) I watch them for a few minutes, smiling as she giggles and claps for "dada" but, when Lewis spins her around and makes her laugh even harder, I'm overcome by almost a dizziness and leave to go to the bathroom.

He's your husband, I remind myself, staring in the mirror. And Isla's dad. You can't be afraid of him forever, even if he did mess up. You have to get over that.

A small knock on the door makes me stand up straight, quick, and I wipe my eyes. I guess I started crying, but I smile and open the bathroom door. I had expected one of the guests to be on other side, having to use the toilet or something. But it's Lewis.

"Hey," he says. I look at him, surprised, and then he steps in the bathroom and shuts the door behind him.

Lewis turns back around and faces me again, before gently taking my hand. "Are you okay?"

I stare at him and then nod. "I'm fine," I lie. "I just needed some air, away from the party for a minute."

"Cleo," Lewis says, looking down at the ground and then back up again, "you can't lie to me. Okay? I know when something's bothering you, and I know when it's my fault! I saw you watching me with Isla, and I'm sorry that it upset you. Please come back out."

Forcing a smile, I nod. "Yeah," I say, "okay."

As if taking this as a queue, Lewis leans into me.

His face comes towards mine like it's perfectly natural, and, at first, I might even have intended to go along, but then I realize that the last lips that have ever touched his were Leena's. The last pair of hands around his neck was hers. And I pull back, bumping into the sink as I do so. When I inhale, it's loud and sharp.

Lewis looks at me.

"Cleo," he breathes.

I shut my eyes. "Please don't say anything. I want to just go back out there because we have guests. Please don't say anything."

Lewis complies. The next sound I hear is the opening and shutting of the door, and then he's gone.

After the party, which went pretty well, I'm sitting up in bed, reading. Lewis walks in in only his boxers- standard pajamas- and I try not to look up from my book as he hops into bed next to me. Without a word, I turn off the lamp and roll onto my side so that I'm not facing him.

And I almost cry, but I don't. I'm so tired of crying.

And I'm so tired of lying, all night, in the dark next to a stranger.


	58. Chapter 58

**Hi guys, this is just going to be a light and fluffy chapter because there's been so much drama lately and I want to write something fun! Although there is one semi-sad surprise at the end ...**

 **DA**

Chapter 58- Rikki's POV

I wake up with the sun in my eyes. When I open them, I realize that the ray of light hitting me is the only sliver of sunshine in our bedroom, as I didn't pull the curtains all the way closed last night. I try to ignore it and roll over but I'm already awake and so I sit up, checking my phone.

It's only seven in the morning- great. I'm usually not a morning person but I swing my legs over the side of the bed and pad into the kitchen, careful not to wake Zane.

Once I'm out, I realize that it's kind of cold and wrap my robe around myself before starting the coffee and putting some toast in the toaster. Then I turn on the _ABC News,_ watching absent-mindedly as I think about my upcoming wedding.

My wedding. When I was a kid, I never could have guessed I'd be marrying the rich snob and constant-torment Zane Bennett. Sure, we've had our ups and downs, but, to be honest, I'm almost glad we got them out of the way. Zane might've kissed Sophie when we were dating as teens but that's certainly better than what Lewis did to Leena …

 _Don't think about that,_ I tell myself. There has been so much heartache in our "family" recently that it's taken my mind off Zane and our wedding. It's made me sad in a time when I should only be happy.

Speak of the devil, just now Zane walks out of our room, his hair all messy from bed. I'm kind of curled up on the sofa by this point, coffee in hand.

"Hey," he says, pouring himself some. "You scared me, a little. When you weren't in bed."

"Sorry," I respond, slightly zoned out. Zane shuffles around in the kitchen some more before joining me on the couch.

"So," he says, "why are you up?"

"I just woke up early. When do you have to leave for work?"

"I'm not working today. We're having a holiday," my fiance explains. I look at him, surprised.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Must've slipped my mind. Or, maybe I meant to let it slip … maybe there are gonna be some surprises today …" he says vaguely, and I fly straight up.

"Zane Bennett!" I exclaim, "You tell me what's going on right now!"

"You'll just have to wait and see," he continues with a smirk, standing and walking back into our bedroom. I wait only a second before scrambling up and following him.

Whatever I expected behind that door, it's not this. Zane is lying on our bed "seductively," wearing only his boxers. He must have taken off his t-shirt the second he walked in … yeah, there it is, lying on the ground in a little crumpled heap. So he's only wearing his boxers and he's looking at me … wait, nope. It seems like I didn't give him quite enough time to remove his socks. Before I can stop myself, I begin to laugh.

Zane stares at me, a frown toying at his lips as his face colors red. "I'm sorry!" I hiccup, "It's just … your-your SOCKS!"

Standing, Zane walks over to me. "What about my socks? I thought they added to the whole allure," he teases. "I thought they made me even more sexy."

Still laughing, I look down at the mismatched, linty pieces of cotton that are pulled over his feet. "Well," I manage to say, "they are some damn sexy socks …"

Zane grins and then pulls my face into his, kissing me gently on the lips.

"Careful, Zane," I whisper as we pull away. "I'm almost a married woman. We can't go on like this for much longer, you know …"

"Well, then, I'll have to be as quick as I can …"

"Oh, no," I respond playfully. "We've got _some_ time."

Suddenly, Zane lifts me and throws me onto our bed. I squeal as he climbs on top of me, kissing my toned stomach and making his way up to my lips. I smiled against him.

A while later, I lay next to Zane, sweaty and happy. It's getting kind of late, and so I decide to get up and make lunch. My fiance follows.

"So," I say, pulling some bread, cheese, and coldcuts out, "that was very _fun,_ but it wasn't very surprising. What else have you got planned?"

"Oh, please," Zane says, taking my hand and turning me in a spin move.

We spend the remainder of the day doing all sort of romantic things- ice skating, picnicking, and walking around the beach. We even go to Mako for a bit. FInally, around nine at night, we return home.

"That was such a great day, babe," I say, leaning on Zane's arm.

"I'm glad," he says. "Because I want to talk to you. About something important."

A little confused, I sit on the couch and look at him. "What's wrong, sweetie?" I ask.

Zane sits next to me and takes my hand. "Rikki," he says. "You are the love of my life. You know that, right?"

I nod.

"But, before we get married, I have to tell you something."

Waiting, I look him. He looks so scared. "Well, whatever it is, Zane, I'll always love you," I assure him.

"Rikki …" Zane says quietly. "I … I can't have children."

What? I feel like I've been hit over the head. Zane can't … have children. Do I even want children? What does this mean for us? Why didn't he tell me?!

"I'm so sorry," he continues, lowering his head. "But my father, he … the day after he came, he told me that both of his brothers and his uncle were infertile and that I should get checked out. I think it was another attempt to break us up, but I did get checked, and he was right … I can't have children. I'm sorry."

I stare at Zane and try and take in what has just been said. Okay, okay. Se he just found out, that's why he's just telling me.

"I just thought I should tell you before the wedding … in case this … changes anything."

Finally, I'm snapped out of my daze. "Zane," I say, taking his face in my hand. "Of course this doesn't change anything. I love you, no matter what. I don't even know if I want kids, you know? So this doesn't change anything at all. If we do want children in the future, we can adopt, okay? And we'll love them so much, just as much as if they were ours. Okay?"

Zane nods, finally beginning to cry. "I'm so sorry, Rikki," he chokes out.

"You have nothing to be sorry about," I say gently, drawing him into me. "I love you."

"I love you, too," says Zane. And I know he's telling the truth, and I am the happiest woman alive.


	59. Chapter 59

**Hi guys! Thank you all again for your reviews and sticking with this story for so long! It's been absolutely crazy writing something viewed by over 30,000 people in 18 different countries so thank you all so much!**

 **I want to take this time to address two reviews I've gotten very recently from a guest user by the name of K. In case you haven't seen them, the reviews said the following: "Make Kim not lesbian" and "Seriously wtf like lesbians are gross and their going to hell I bet your a dyke to that's so nasty ."**

 **Although I wasn't going to say anything about the first review, I feel like I must address the second. This type of thing is completely unacceptable and I will not allow this type of hate or intolerance in my story. Being a part of the LGBT community myself, I've dealt with a lot of negativity, and it's not an easy thing to grow up with. For somebody who feels like they're not able to come out of the closet or will face attack (physical or emotional) if they do chose to do so, then seeing these hurtful comments, even from an anonymous user on a fanfiction website, can really lessen their self esteem. Love is love, weather between two people of the same sex, opposite sex, same gender, opposite gender, or anything else in between, and if any of my readers have in issue with that concept then I suggest they work it out themselves and don't spread hate from behind a computer screen like a coward. I understand that there are religious principles some people feel inclined towards and I respect that but attacking anyone for their sexuality (or race, gender identification, age, class, etc for that matter) is absolutely no way to conduct yourself. Even if you believe that one's lifestyle is "gross" or sinful or anything of that type, insulting the person and degrading them helps NOTHING. If they are happy the way things are and they're not being harmful, nobody has any right to try and stop them from living their life to its fullest.**

 **So, K, and anybody else who shares his/her/their opinion, I suggest that you stop reading my story, because "A Baby With a Tail" does not welcome intolerance. Kim is a lesbian, and, as we all should be, she is damn proud of who she is.**

 **Anyway, guys, this chapter is going include some great news for Wella! Actually, a couple of pieces of great news! I thought they deserved a break after all the hardship!**

 **DA, your very lesbian author.**

Chapter 59- Bella's POV

"Hello?" I call, opening the door to our apartment. The lights are on and I'm pretty sure Will hasn't gone out.

"Hey," he says, confirming my thought as he rounds the corner. "You look beautiful."

I laugh a little, confused. My hair is up in a sloppy bun, I'm wearing yoga pants and a loose black t-shirt. I definitely don't look beautiful. I was just running out to grab some diapers while Will was showering. Percy was asleep and Will had the baby monitor in the bathroom with him.

"God, Bella," Will continues, walking towards me with the biggest smile on his face. He leans down and kisses me. I smile, too, but I still don't know what's happening.

"What's up? I ask.

"My grandfather is dead," Will says into my hair, squeezing me tight against him.

"What? Oh my god, honey, that's awful. Are you okay?" I respond with concern.

Will looks down at me again and laughs, stroking back some of my hair. "Yes," he says, "I'm just fine. My grandfather and I didn't know each other very well. He had my mother and her sister way back when. Aunt Trish didn't have any kids and my mom had me and Sophie. I'm his only male 'heir.'"

"Okay?" I say, kind of understanding what he's getting at now.

"Being the old coot that he was, gramps left everything to me. To us," Will finally concludes. "Along with a bunch of material stuff, he left us some money, Bells."

I stare at him. "Well … how much?"

Nearly crying, Will pulls me into him for a long and tight hug. "One hundred thousand dollars."

A few days later, we're driving to the doctor's. After freaking out about the money, I'd insisted on going over everything myself. But Will is right. One hundred thousand dollars.

It's like a miracle. A miracle for our miracles babies. I had taken to thinking of the new baby as the miracle baby when I realized how amazing it was that Percy had survived the delivery as well. They're both miracle babies, and I have a miracle life and a miracle boyfriend. And I don't think I could ever ask for more.

One hundred thousand dollars.

No more of the cheapest bread and sale-item shampoo.

No more watering down juice to make it last.

No more being afraid of money, at least for now. For now, we can be okay again. And, when the baby comes, they'll be okay, too.

We hit a bump in the road and my head bangs against the window I'd been leaning against. Will looks at me, a little worried. "You okay?" he asks.

"Fine," I say back.

One hundred thousand dollars. Oh my God.

Eventually, we get to the doctor's office. Will helps me out of the car and I don't protest, only hold onto his arm. Then he grabs Percy out of his carseat- we couldn't find a sitter.

Once we're inside, Dr. Ly takes us. "Bella, Will," she says with a grin. "It's always nice to see you. And little Percy."

Percy hides his face against Will. He's been fussy today.

We go into her office and Dr. Ly begins by asking us a few questions. "So, Bella," she says. "Has there been any pain?"

I shift. "Well, I've been having bad migraines, light-headedness, lack of appetite, and cramps. There hasn't been any bleeding or serious pain in my abdomen, though."

"She got really dizzy in the store a while ago and had to sit down," says Will. "Should we have come to you? I tried to talk Bella into it, but she said she was fine."

I smile and roll my eyes.

"As long as there wasn't any bleeding or serious pain, she's probably fine. Every pregnant women gets dizzy sometimes," Dr. Ly explains. Will nods.

"You're five months along now," she continues, addressing me again. "That means you're in the second trimester, and, therefore, the risk of miscarriage is much smaller. Has your morning sickness changed?"

I consider this. "Not much. With Percy, I was always sick for the first months and then always hungry for the last six. Now I'm just mildly sick every morning and I'm not really inclined towards food. Sometimes it seems like a chore to eat."

Dr. Ly nods and takes notes. "That's totally normal, Bella," she eventually says. "Many pregnant women experience a lack of appetite, and morning sickness doesn't always go away after the first three months. You are eating, though?"

"Yes. Well, most of the time. I try."

"You have to make sure she finishes her meals," Dr. Ly tells Will. "Proper nourishment is extremely important while the baby is in utero. Now, would you mind getting up here and we'll just get an ultrasound."

I stand and then lie down on the little hospital bed. Percy begins to whine and Will quiets him.

Rubbing the cold gel onto my now-bare stomach, Dr. Ly makes some small talk with me. Eventually, the sound of our baby's heartbeat fills the room. It knocks the breath right out of me, as always.

"Would you like to know the gender?"

I look at Will in surprise. With Percy, we had decided to be surprised. But, now that we already have a beautiful boy, I sort of want to know if he's getting a brother or a sister.

Will nods at me and I nod at Dr. Ly.

Smiling, Dr. Ly says, "Congratulations. You're having a girl."

 **Haha, throwback to chapter 7! Anyway happy spring break, if you have it now!**

 **DA**


	60. Chapter 60

**Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait, I was away for break! Thank you all for the positive responses to my message last chapter, especially the guest who commented, "** **I completely agree. Im not lesbian but a few of my friends are and everyone should have the support they need to be happy," AmazingGracieGurl (whom I would also like to thank for following me through this whole story and leaving many positive reviews and making me smile! So happy that I have great readers like you!) and God Loves You, whom I don't agree with but am happy to see respectfully stating their opinion in a positive way. Anyway, thank you all and I hope you like this chapter!**

 **DA**

Chapter 60- Emma's POV

A knock on my door sounds and I spring up from the couch, startled out of the half-dazed stupor I'd been in while watching TV.

As I near the door, I hear the sound of footsteps walking away. I open it quickly but nobody is there. Rolling my eyes, I try to think of which kids on my floor would find pleasure in playing ding-dong-ditch, but then I slip on something and come crashing to the ground.

"Jesus," I mutter, glad I didn't get injured. As far as I can tell, my tailbone will just be a little sore for a few days. Looking around, I try to find whatever made me fall. The culprit is a small piece of paper that is slightly creased from my foot and a little ways away. My blood goes cold.

This paper is the same size and shape as the strange, terrifying letter that was slid under my door almost a month and a half ago.

Crawling to it, I flip it over with shaky hands.

I am warning you that some body knows about you and could tell some body other. I am not able to say more, because that would put me in danger, but you do not want this other person to find out your secret again. She is an old enemy.

I reread the note five of six times, trying to make sense of the cryptic warning. An old enemy could find out about us? What old enemy? Charlotte's gone, so it couldn't be her. Instead of focusing on the enemy, I try and decipher who might be sending me these letters. I note the broken English- "some body," "other" instead of "else," and the lack of contractions clue me in that the sender probably has a different first language. The perfect cursive reminds me of a woman, but that could be pure bias and gives me no actual standing ground.

Then I reread the message one last time, and suddenly I notice one word in particular. "Again." Whoever this old enemy is, they knew our secret once, but somehow forgot about it?

Or maybe, a voice in my head says, she was convinced it wasn't true.

I've tried to forget about Dr. Denman, but sometimes she makes her way into my dreams. Sometimes I even think I see her, but it's always just a blonde ponytail on a girl who's face doesn't match. But who else could the sender be talking about? Somebody who knew our secret once but doesn't anymore …

Let me think, how old would Denman be by now? She's nine years older than Cleo, so she's … thirty-four? Would she even still care about us?

I know, however, that the answer is yes. I can still remember the gleam in that woman's eye. She would expose us before we even knew what was happening.

Okay, I think, what should I do? Tell the girls, obviously, but what else can I do? The sender doesn't give me any information … maybe I should just wait until I have something more to work with … I need to get out of this house, I'm going to go crazy if I don't.

Grabbing my keys, I decide to hit the grocery store. I haven't been in a while and need some stuff. I also text Byron, asking him if he wants to hang out tonight. It's our six month anniversary in about a week.

On my way to the store, he responds, saying he's busy with work. I'm a little bummed but we make plans for the weekend so it's not too bad. I park my car and hop out, writing a list on my phone as I walk. I need cereal, I think, and fruit … I think I have some bread but I'll get more, just in case …

Lost in thought, I don't see the figure in front of me and bump right into it. "Oh!" I exclaim, "I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking at- at … at all."

Standing in front of me, looking down, is Ash. He has a new haircut, I notice. He looks good.

"Emma," my old boyfriend says, "hi. How are you?"

I blush deeply. "I- I'm good! How are you?"

Shrugging, Ash runs one hand through his hair. "I'm good," he says. "What have you been up to? Are you still seeing that guy … Brian?"

"Byron," I correct him, "and yes. And you? With Estelle?"

He nods. "Yep. She's actually here, somewhere," says Ash, looking around.

They probably live together, already, if they shop together, I think, a little surprised. It's so soon.

"Well," I begin to say, "it was nice seeing-"

"Wait, Emma. I wanted to apologize," says Ash, looking ashamed. I raise my eyebrows. "I was a real jerk when we broke up. I know that what I did was totally out of line, and I wanted to say sorry. I'm actually grateful that we ended things, now. You were right, things were stale. I never felt like I do around Estelle when I was around you."

Even though I completely agree, I feel a little insulted. I certainly never used the word "stale." Stop being vain, I tell myself, and give Ash a smile. "I'm glad."

Now it's his turn to begin to walk away, but then I remember the latter and grab his arm. "Wait, Ash, can we talk a sec?"

He looks confused but nods.

"Well," I start, my voice low, "I've been getting these … letters, saying somebody knows about our … secret who shouldn't know. I know this is ridiculous, but … do you know who's sending them?"

Understanding flashes his face, then annoyance. "I'm not threatening you, Emma," he says.

"Wait, no! That's not what I mean! Just, do you have any idea who could be sending them? They're not threats, anyway. They're warnings."

Face softening, Ash shrugs. "I'm sorry," he says, "but I have no idea. Try thinking of everyone who knows your secret, because the sender must know, too, right? Obviously the girls, Zane, Lewis, Will, Byron-"

"No," I cut in. "Byron doesn't know."

Surprised, Ash continues, "Oh. Well, nobody else besides them, and me, knows, right? Charlotte's dead, and I haven't told anyone. Does anybody else out there know?"

I don't respond. One name is caught in my head from those he just listed. Charlotte is dead …

Foreign. Female. Knows our secret.

Charlotte may have died during that whole nightmare, but there was somebody else there, who survived.

Angi.


	61. Chapter 61

**Hey guys! Just want to say thank you so much to** **CWoodfh15** **! Your review was so sweet and I'm so so glad you like my story!**

 **DA**

Chapter 61- Cleo's POV

In the darkest hours of the night, Isla wakes me up screaming.

I get out of bed in my groggy state and go to her, but, as the volume of her wails increase, I begin to hurry. This doesn't sound like her normal crying. Something feels wrong.

When I get there, my baby is red-faced in her crib, her firsts curled and her legs drawn up. "Shh," I coo, holding her, but Isla doesn't quiet. I check her diaper- nothing. She's hot against me, and , beginning to panic, I get the thermometer.  
***

"Lewis," I hiss, hitting my husband hard on the shoulder. He doesn't stir and so I shake him, holding Isla on my hip with one arm. She's burning up. 103. I don't know why this is happening.

Finally, Lewis sits upright. "What, what?" He says, his blond hair a mess, and I try to keep that sick feeling that I get whenever look at him at bay and focus on Isla.

"She has a fever. It's really high, here, you take her while I call the doctor." I don't wait for him to respond because I don't want to hear him worry about her, hear him act like this is the worst thing that's ever happened. I don't want to hear him, to look at him. I just want to call the doctor and get my baby help.

A little while later, I come back into the bedroom and begin to get dressed, trying not to cry. "He says we should take her to the hospital."

"How high is her temperature?"

"103."

I hear Lewis stand as I pull a white tank top on and a rose-pink sweater. I braid my hair and put on a pair of shorts, and then he's next to me, touching my waist.

Trying not to flinch, I let him turn me so that we're facing each other. My husband looks into my eyes.

"Is she going to be okay?" He asks.

Here's what I want: to tell him that we can only hope and start to cry and let him hold me and know that he's scared, too. I try so hard to just look into his eyes and focus on us and our family but my throat is closing up and I feel like I might be sick and my skin is crawling so I just close my eyes and look down, knitting my eyebrows together. "I don't know," I say, the words choked and broken, and then I pull away from him.

Lewis doesn't protest, but I can feel him. His shame, his regret. His worry for me. His anger at himself.

By the time we get the hospital, Isla has fallen asleep in her carseat. Of course I'm happy for this, but her silence also worries me. I check several times to make sure that her chest is rising and falling.

I pick her up once we're there and hold her tight to my chest. Isla is burning. I'm afraid.

The doctor's wisk our baby quickly once we explain what's going on. Walking over to the waiting area, I sit next to Lewis.

"It's gonna be okay," he says quietly. I know he's trying to be comforting, but even he sounds unsure. It's as if we don't even know how to interact with each other anymore.

It's around three in the morning. Isla's in the hospital and I can't even look at my husband without wanting to cry.

"Cleo."

Lewis says my name like a statement and I wait for him to keep going, not turning my head.

"Cleo," he says again, putting one hand on my forearm. My skin explodes in goosebumps and I finally make eye contact with him.

"What are we gonna do?"

I know he's not talking about Isla.

It's been four months since Leena, and I haven't let him kiss me. I pull away from his touch and I don't look him in the eye. We barely speak.

I didn't want things to happen this way. When I was fifteen I thought the worst fate ever would be to never have Lewis love me back. As I got older, the thought of him living in the States forever left me in tears.

This is so, so much worse.

I can't talk about it. I can't even look at him.

"I don't know." My words are simple and honest.

"I'm so sorry," whispers Lewis. "I failed you."

I say nothing because this is true.

"Are you going to leave me?"

This takes me by surprise. He's never asked before.

"No, Lewis," I say quietly. I'm surprised at my confidence in these words. "I love you." This is true. I know it wouldn't hurt this bad if I didn't love him. "I'm just confused. I want to be able to let this go, for Isla, for you, for myself, but … every time you touch me, I just think of how the last woman you touched was Leena. And when you try to kiss me, I know that the last woman you kissed was Leena. It makes me … sick. Physically ill.

"I want to be able to be okay again, but I don't know what to do."

Lewis says nothing, only stares straight ahead. I sigh. And then I say six words that I haven't said in years, and my voice takes on this edge of tears as I begin to cry.

"Lewis … you really let me down."

And then my best friend since I was five, the first person ever to know our secret, my boyfriend of ten years and the man I've been married to for over a year lowers his head and begins to cry. "I know," he says quietly. "I know. I've let you down so many times. I don't know- I don't know why you're still here. God, Cleo, I'm so sorry. I don't deserve you."

My heart, which has been so frozen and shattered and just completely wrong for so long now, begins to thaw and come together in that moment. I take his head in my hands and lift his face towards mine so that we're looking at each other. Although my face is wet I've stopped crying, and I study him carefully. And then I smile just the smallest bit and let out a tiny, airy laugh. "Hey," I say, wiping away one of his tears, "hey. You didn't let me finish. You let me down, but we've gotten through it before. We survived Charlotte, we survived long distance, we survived a kind-of-accidental pregnancy. We can survive this, okay? I know we can. This isn't the end, okay?"

Lewis looks at me with wonder in his eyes. "You're so strong," he whispers. "And so beautiful."

I smile and look down, but then back up as I take his face towards mine and gently press my lips to his, reveling in the old, amazing, perfect feeling of it. He does not take the lead, does not force any strength or power into the kiss, and I'm happy for this. I don't know what I'm ready for, but certainly not anything too serious. I just want to focus on his lips touching mine.

"Mr. and Mrs. McCartney?"

The nurse calls us apart and we look at him.

"The doctor would like to see you."

In the doctor's office, we sit next to each other. Lewis takes my hand.

"Isla has bacterial meningitis."

"Is it fatal?" asks Lewis.

"Not since she's been treated right away, but it's still serious. We're going to keep her overnight, but, with the right medication, she should be able to go home tomorrow. Just make sure she doesn't exert herself too much, keeps out of the sun, and takes her medicine. Would you like to see her now?"

I stand, nodding. Would I like to see her? I need to.

Isla is asleep in a hospital crib, her small body pale and fragile. Her hair is splayed on the soft, white cotton sheets and she seems to be okay. An IV attached to her arm.

Covering my mouth with my hand, I stare at my baby. "Oh," I finally whisper, "Lewis, she looks so small."

He puts one arm around my waist and I force myself to ignore the urge to pull away, instead trying to remember that I love him, I love him, I love him. "I know," he says, "but she's gonna be okay."

And as I listen to him and begin to adjust to his touch, I begin to believe, for the first time in a long time, that I could be okay, too.


	62. Chapter 62

**Hey so this is a Kim chapter and it has a lot on her eating disorder so I'm going to put a trigger warning just to be safe. Wella chapter coming soon!**

 **DA**

Chapter 62- Kim's POV

Sam sets the scale down in her bedroom with a thud. "There, now your father and I can actually track our progress."

They're trying to lose weight, get back in shape. That doesn't mean you have to diet with us, Kimmy. If only they knew.

Later in the evening, they are out at a friends. It's five or six o'clock and so far I've eaten a medium sized apple, about ninety-five calories, and five saltines, two hundred and ten calories. Plus a whole lot of water.

Three hundred and five calories … that leaves 95 left for dinner, so another apple will do the trick. The thought of eating more, however, makes me sick.

As a distraction, I text Casey, asking if she'll come over. She says yes. My girlfriend is coming. Will she want to touch me? Feel the softness of my fat belly, the thickness of my thighs?

How much do I weigh, anyway?

The scale is right upstairs, my brain reminds me. I don't really want to look. I know the number is going to be too high.

My feet don't seem to agree and carry me up the stairs, burning a little over two calories. I ran five miles on the treadmill today at 7.5 mph which burned 525 calories. I had to sit down for a while, after that.

The color of Dad and Sam's room is a cool, light purple. There are photos of me and Cleo and Sam's family and Dad's family.

The scale is only a few feet away now.

Their bed is made. What would Dad do alone? I wonder if Cleo or Lewis makes their bed. Things have seemed tense between them, lately.

I step up carefully.

The tiny red needle ticks up, past the sixty pounds I'd weighed when I was six, past the eighty pounds I'd weighed when I was eight, the year they'd stopped mentioning my weight out loud because some new study showed that making young girls weight-conscience was unhealthy, hits the one hundred mark, please, stop, please … 101 … 105 … 107.

The scale stops at 110 pounds, about 7.9 stone. 110 pounds. Of fat.

The room is spinning.

The doorbell rings downstairs but I barely hear it.

"Kim?"

Maybe I can hear my name distantly but it's not until Casey is upstairs beside me that I realize her presence. "Kim, what are you doing?! You're pale as a ghost, what's wrong?"

I'm still on the scale. She sees the number.

"110 pou… Kim, what is wrong with you? 110 pounds, at your height … that's so unsafe! How did this happen?!"

She pulls me off the scale and I sit on the bed. There is too much adrenaline in me. I am shaking.

"Kim, are you listening?!"

"I didn't know I was this bad …"

"You need to get help!"

"No, no," my words are whispered, "I can lose it on my own … I just didn't know I was this bad … you weren't supposed to see the number, now you know how fucking huge I am …" tears blur my vision.

"Lose it … huge, Kim you still think you're fat? Oh, oh my god, Kim …"

You let yourself get this way, you little fucking bitch … you let yourself get so fat! Think of all those crackers you ate this morning, slithering down your throat and into your stomach, sitting there in a half-digested mess, adding more and more FAT to your frame! You just couldn't help yourself, you little piggy! You just had to have it all, all that food, all those calories! Think of it now … think of the stretch marks forming on your thighs, think of the pudgy belly growing in globs onto you, think of how HUGE you look to her! You IDIOT! HOW CAN YOU DO THIS TO YOURSELF?

Maybe just one snack won't hurt, though … maybe just go downstairs and get a donut, Kimmy … you'll feel better afterwards, right?

"SHUT UP, YOU FUCKING FAT COW!"

Casey looks at me, her face pale and confused. I realize she had been speaking. She thinks I was telling her to shut up.

There now, that's right. Don't eat. Don't eat.

"KIM, listen to me!"

"I need to get to zero, Casey."

She pulls away.

"You can't be zero. Nobody can be zero."

Tears trickle down my face as I look up at her. The light is on, forming a halo around her head.

"You don't understand- you're perfect! All I want is to be perfect, too!"

"Kim, I'm not perfect! And you cannot become perfect this way- you're killing yourself!"

"I NEED TO BE ZERO!"

Casey bursts into tears. "Stop shouting! Jesus Christ, you're scaring me to death, Kim! It's like I don't even know you anymore!"

We stare at each other in silence. "I- I need to go."

The room is too big without her- although, any room with me in it can't have too much space left. Ha.

The crying hasn't stopped. I know making myself throw up won't help at this point- the crackers were digested hours ago- but I certainly won't be eating anymore tonight. I make my way to my bedroom and lay down. I'm feeling so sleepy.

Dad and Sam come home hours later. They're loud, they wake me up. Why won't everyone just let me sleep?

I just want to sleep, because, when I am laying flat on my back, I can find some satisfaction. My body is a masterpiece- a landscape. When I lay, rivers form in between each one of my ribs and mountains rise up, bruising the skin around my hips. A sea of blue cotton sheets explodes between my thighs. Maybe 110 doesn't mean it's all over … maybe it just means I have to work a little bit harder. I drink water and lay down again, cold all over and dizzy, and fall asleep to the beautiful feeling of my muscles beginning to consume themselves.


	63. Chapter 63

**Hey everyone!**

 **Lots of stuff coming up! Wella chapter today, then next time a certain character is going to make a reappearance, pushing Cleo away from Lewis again. Who will she confide in? Her friends? Her sister?**

 **After that, there's going to be a WEDDING! I'm super excited! Keep sending me ideas in your reviews so I can work them in, and special thanks to AmazingGracieGurl for standing up to K, who decided to come back with more to say. I don't think there's much to say on that. It's clear that when you can't even use the right "you're" you shouldn't be calling other people stupid. Anyway, thanks as always AmazingGracieGurl!**

 **DA**

Chapter 63- Bella's POV

I wake up in the early morning to Percy's crying but don't move for a few minutes, hoping that Will will get him. At six months pregnant, I'm not a huge fan of hopping out of bed at … what time is it, anyway? Checking my phone, I see it's 4:27 a.m. _This is Will's early day,_ I realize. On Mondays, he dives from four to seven in the morning.

With a sigh, I roll out of bed and walk groggily to Percy's nursery. Once he's asleep again, I'm so tired that I can't even make my way around our bed and flop down on Will's side. I'm out like a light.

When I wake up again, the sun has risen. I smile and check the time. It's around eight o'clock- a time during which I'm rarely in bed. _Will must have Percy,_ I think, hearing some noises from outside. I push the covers off myself and begin to stand.

That's when I notice the blood.

It's dried in a dark red-brown color around my legs.

My blood runs cold.

"Will!"

I'm up and running down the hall, into the living room where Percy is chewing on his teething ring. "Will!"

Catching me by the shoulders, Will looks at me wide-eyed. "What, what?!" He asks, panicked.

"There's blood on the bed- we gotta go to the hospital, we gotta go!" I respond breathlessly, tears pricking my eyes as I grab out keys and my purse. There's no pain in my pelvis, I'm not dizzy.

I don't understand.

"What? There's blood on your side of the bed, Bells?" Asks Will, coming around me and getting his things. Our motions are rushed, our faces afraid.

"Yes! No- your side, but I slept there after getting Percy and-"

Will has stopped moving. He puts his hands on the counter and closes his eyes. "It's mine."

"What?"

"I got hurt, yesterday, diving. The cut reopened in bed last night, I noticed the blood this morning but I didn't want to wake you so I left it there. It's mine, Bella, it's mine."

I'm frozen. So far, I've experienced an emotional rollercoaster this morning: panic, fear, anger, confusion. Now there's only relief. I finally let myself cry, turning into Will and letting him hold me as I whisper, "I thought it was the baby- I thought I lost the baby."

"I know," he says back, and tightens his grip around me. "I was so scared."

"I-I don't know what to do," I admit, "I'm so scared all the time. I love our baby so much, Will. She can't … I can't lose her, I can't survive that."

"Yes," Will says, pulling away from me. "You can. You have to. We have to. I mean, I can't even imagine losing this baby- I want her _so much,_ Bells. But if we do … it's gonna be so impossible but we have to survive. Because it's not just us, anymore. We can't just think of ourselves."

I nod at him with watery eyes and then we're hugging again, as Percy babbles away with his toys. I eventually walk to him and pick him up, holding him as close to myself as I can. Will rubs my back. "He's going to be such a great brother." The words are soft.

Nodding, I bounce Percy. "They're so close in age, they might as well be twins."

Will chuckles. "What should we name her?"

I glance at him over my shoulder. "I was thinking … what about Mica?" M-eye-ka.

Will smiles and kisses the top of my head. "I love it," he says, "and I love you."

I return the words but there's something inside me still that's afraid. I keep thinking back to that blood. And Percy, when I almost lost him. The outrageous fear that overtook every part of me.

"Percy and Mica," I whisper, as if finalizing the outcome, but everything is still so unstable. All I know is that I need these two babies more than I need air.


	64. Chapter 64

Chapter 64- Cleo's POV

"Lewis, can you grab the milk?" I ask, glancing over our list while leaning on the handle of the shopping cart. Isla, in the kiddie seat up front, grabs at my necklace while giggling, sometimes slipping a "Mama!" Into her laughter. I smile and kiss her head as Lewis heads off towards the dairy section. I push the cart absent-mindedly, browsing the shelves for cereal. Some sort of commotion starts at the other end of the aisle and I look towards it.

A woman has accidentally driven her cart into one of the shelves. She's surrounded by boxes of granola bars and hurrying to pick them up, trying to limit the humiliation. "Oh," I say, kneeling next to her, "I'll help y-" my words die in the air.

The woman standing in front of me in Leena. We make eye contact and both of our semi-carefree demeanors drop like the curtain at the end of a show. "Oh," I say, in total surprise. I did not expect this. I feel sick.

"Oh," she repeats, and looks around like she might be able to disappear if she just avoids my eye. For some reason, my face is burning with shame.

 _Why are you ashamed?_ I ask myself. _You did_ nothing _wrong._

 _You let him lose interest … you weren't as beautiful as she is …_

I try to ignore these thoughts and pull my lips back in a tight line. Isla begins to whimper and I immediately grab her, the feeling of protectiveness that possessed me for so long after the … incident returning in a flash. Leena looks at my baby with what I can only describe as utter devastation on her face.

"Cleo," she whispers, "you need to know … know how _sorry_ I am."

I say nothing, only turn to walk away. I can't let this happen again- I can't!

"Cleo, please, I just want to apologize-" she begs, grabbing at my arm, and my body shudders without my consent as I know she touched Lewis with just those hands and I'm going to be sick and I've just gotta get some air!

"Leave me alone. Please," I say through gritted teeth, and then walk outside.

Lewis finds me awhile later. I tell him that Isla was causing a scene and I brought her out here to calm down.

I don't mention Leena.

 _Hey honey, can you stop by and drop off the pictures sometime soon? No rush. XO, Dad._

I read the text with a smile on the way back from the store, my head against the car window. Dad's making a scrapbook for Sam for their seventh anniversary but, being the man that he is, he couldn't figure out how to get prints of the pictures and asked me to get them. _Sure,_ I text back, _I can come tonight._

 _Out tonight,_ Dad replies in a flash, _but Kimmy is home. Leave them under my pillow. Thanks love!_

I smile at his directions of where to hide the photos. By the time we get home, Isla is falling asleep in her car seat and so I tell Lewis I'll go to my Dad's alone so he can put her to bed. "Okay, sweetie," he says, kissing my forehead, "don't be out too late."

"I won't," I reply while getting back into the car with the pictures in hand. I'm at Dad's shortly. Kim opens the door.

"Oh," she says, "hey, Cleo. I didn't know you were coming over."

I give her a hug and explain the circumstances. "Geez, Kim," I add while pulling away. "Aren't you boiling?"

She's in long pajama pants, a sweatshirt, and a fluffy bath robe. Her hair is down around her face, and everything on the outside seems normal but something deeper is off. I can tell.

Maybe it's in the bags under her eyes- or the fact that she's not wearing makeup to cover them (not that she has to, she just does usually.) Maybe it's in the way that, even under all that padding, her hands are cold as ice. Maybe it's in the way her eyes have sort of an unfocused-ness to them as she teeters slightly in the doorway. Maybe it's in the frailty of her frame.

Or, maybe, it's the way her smile is just a little too forced.

I don't ask, though. She shrugs at my earlier comment and leads me upstairs, where I put the photos under Dad's pillow. That's when I notice the scale in the corner.

"Hey," I say, gesturing towards it, "when did they get that?"

"A few weeks ago," Kim replies, her smile widening as she loses color. This throws me. Something about her just looks so … fragile. Like she might shatter at any moment.

I nod and, because I'm worried about her, ask if we can watch a movie or something. She agrees and we go downstairs, her hopping on the sofa while I go to the kitchen. _Watching a movie with Kim, back around 10,_ I text Lewis.

 _What movie?_ He asks.

 _Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants._

 _Without me?!_

 _Haha, sorry, we can watch this weekend._

 _Fine:P love you._

 _Love you, too._

I often make fun of Lewis's texting style. He acts like a twelve-year-old who just got their first phone.

Returning from the kitchen with a bowl of popcorn, I sit next to her and put on the movie. We watch for a while, and I munch casually, but about halfway through I notice that her hands have stayed firmly at her sides. I suppose she notices my look, because Kim gives me a quick smile and says, "Sorry, not hungry, I guess." After that, however, she takes a few pieces of popcorn and tosses them into her mouth.

It's not ten minutes later that she says she has to go to the bathroom, a hint of panic in her voice, and gets up. I don't mind and pause the movie, but when ten minutes have passed I'm a little worried. I finally stand and go to the bathroom door, knocking gently as I ask, "Kimmy? You okay?"

I hear nothing for a second, but then the sound of retching. "I'm coming in, Kim," I say, opening the door to see her kneeling beside the toilet. "Are you okay?" I ask immediately, walking over.

With closed eyes, she responds, "Yeah. I was sick, though. I don't know, I've been feeling off all day." She pushes back her hair, but some of it gets caught on her index finger, which is shiny and wet.

Well, that explains why she seemed so unsteady earlier. And her avoidance of the popcorn- who wants to eat when they're queasy?

"Aw, that sucks. Do you want me to get you some ice to suck on? That always made you feel better when you were little."

"No," she says, hoisting herself up. "I'm okay. I think I'm just gonna head to bed. Hopefully this bus is gone tomorrow."

I agree and see her upstairs before driving back home. Even though things didn't exactly go as planned with Kim, it was still nice seeing her. Took my mind off of Leena.

"Hey," Lewis says when I get home, "I thought you were staying til later."

"Kim got sick," I reply, sitting down on the couch.

"Poor thing. She okay?"

"She's fine, in bed. On the plus side, we can watch sisterhood now."

Grinning, Lewis sits next to me and we queue up the movie, but I don't pay that much attention. I'm actually dozing off when I remember something.

Kim's index finger was the only one that was wet.

Why?


	65. Chapter 65

**Hey guys, so this is another Kim chapter. I've had it written for a while so I figured I'd post it now, as this is a good a time as ever. This chapter is pretty intense. I'm gonna put another trigger warning, just to be safe.**

 **DA**

Chapter 65- Kim's POV

 _Hey,_ my phone reads, _can we meet today?_ It's from Casey.

I write back quickly, excited to fix things with her. I know Casey deserves an apology, and I hope she'll give me one, too, and then we can just go back to the way things were between us. Perfect.

 _Sure, my place at three?_

I wait only a few seconds before my phone buzzes again. _That works._

 _Are clothes optional?_ I ask, trying to will the tension out of our conversation.

 _I'll see you then._

Her text throws me off. She didn't respond to my joke, didn't put a smiley face or kissing emoji at the end, only a period. I decide to write back, saying _K, love you:)_

She reads but my phone does not buzz again.

At three, I pace nervously. Casey is always punctual, but today she knocks at 3:07. "Hey," my girlfriend says. I go up to her and try to kiss her, but she turns and my lips meet her cheek. _She must be really pissed, I've gotta make things better fast._

"Case," I say, "I'm so sorry. I know I totally freaked out the other day, but seriously, things are fine. I never, ever should have yelled at you, though. It was all my fault, what can I do to make it better?"

"I'm not mad at you, Kim," Casey tells me, a pained look in her eyes.

I lift my eyebrows in surprise. "Oh, but then why are you acting upset? I wouldn't even ... I would understand if you were mad, I was super annoying last time we hung out."

Sitting down, Casey looks me in the eye. I sit next to her.

"Kim, you're sick."

What?

I'm not sick, why would she say something weird like that?

"I'm ... Fine."

"You didn't seem find the other day. You scared me. You need help."

"Oh, the food thing? That was only one time, and I was just really stressed that day..."

With sadness in her eyes, Casey shakes her head. "I've been with you when you're stressed. That wasn't stress, that was... Kim, you were acting insane. You're really sick. And I don't know how to ... Help you."

My whole body is buzzing with her words. Is she just a movie actress? I certainly am.

"It's normal for girls to diet."

The words aren't mine but they're coming out of my mouth.

"This isn't just a diet! You're eating, what, 400 calories a day? And exercising constantly! Plus, you're already so underweight! You need help!"

Something is wrong here- something good is breaking. She's spiraling away from me- I. Cannot. Lose her.

"I'm really okay, but I'll get help, Casey. If you want me to."

I won't get help, but I have to hold onto her. I don't need help. I need her.

"That's great, Kim, and I'm so happy to hear you say it, but... I know I said we should move in together this year, but I don't think that's such a good idea."

I stare at the perfection that is Casey for a long time. "That's okay. We can just keep going like we are now."

My mouth is moving again, whispering this time, but I still feel nothing coming out.

"I don't think that's such a good idea, either."

No.

No.

JESUS CHRIST NO THIS CANNOT BE HAPPENING "You've changed, Kim." I CANNOT SURVIVE WITHOUT HER "No I haven't. I'm still the same old me." I WILL DIE JESUS CHRIST I WILL DIE I DON'T WANT TO KEEP GOING PLEASE GOD TAKE ME NOW PLEASE!

"No, you're not. It wasn't just the other day that I noticed, but that was certainly a wake-up call. You've changed. You're not the girl I fell in love with. I still love you, Kim, I'm just not... In love with you. I don't want to be with you. I'm sorry."

I am shuddering and my vision is too blurry and I'm cold, a sweet silver purple cold.

"You were the reason I came out, Casey. It was for you. You were my first love."

There is an earthquake inside me, and it's making too much noise noise noise- gotta let it out. Gotta let it out of my veins.

"I know. But just because we were first loves doesn't mean we were gonna get married."

"You-you were gonna adopt a baby with me!"

Casey closes her beautiful eyes and let's out a beautiful sigh.

"I know, but that was stupid, Kim. God, I was so fucking dumb."

I don't want this anymore, I don't want anything anymore. Please, God. Let me go.

"It's because I'm fat, isn't it?"

"Kim-no! Jesus Christ, no! You're sick- you're anorexic!"

"NO I'M NOT!"

"Yes. You are. I-I-I don't even know you anymore! It's like you're not even there sometimes- you're just an empty figure! You're not you!"

"Why are you lying?!" She has to be lying, God, I will die if she isn't lying. WHY DID I LET MYSELF GET SO HUGE?!

"I'm not lying!"

"You have to be! I can't survive if you aren't- I will kill myself, Casey!"

The words hang in the air.

I know they were mine, this time.

"Don't do that to me. Don't put that on me. If you go, I go with you."

"I think you should leave."

"Kim-"

"LEAVE!"

Somehow I get to the shower, not caring about whether or not she has left, and sit on the tile floor. The water is hot and it runs down my face and into my mouth as I rock back and forth and sob, occasionally screaming at the very top of my lungs. "PLEASE DON'T MAKE ME LIVE ANYMORE, PLEASE GOD, I WANNA DIE, I WANNA DIE!"

My pleas mellow into whispers as the water grows cold. How long has passed? Minutes, hours?

All I know is that I am a fat, fucking pig, Casey is gone, and the water around me has been dyed a deep, terrifying red.


	66. Chapter 66

**WEDDING!**

 **DA**

Chapter 66- Rikki's POV

"Good _morning!"_

The words are sharp and loud and annoying. Rolling over, I bury my face in the pillow, reaching out for Zane's hand. I don't even know who's talking but I assume it's not a murderer since they're hurrying around cleaning up my bedroom. When I find Zane's half of the bed empty, however, I open my eyes. Cleo is busy opening my curtains and Zane is nowhere to be found.

"Hey," I mumble, sitting up and rubbing my eyes. "What's going on?"

"Will and Lewis snuck Zane out, so I'm here to get you up and ready!" she exclaims gleefully.

"Snuck Zane out … why?"

"You're not going to see him on your WEDDING day, Rikki!" continues Cleo, rolling her eyes at me. I sit there silently for a moment before flopping back against the bed.

"Oh," my friend says, walking over. "Don't be such a drama queen!"

I groan and try to pull the covers back over my head. "What time is it, anyway?"

"Around seven."

I groan louder.

"Rikki, come on! You've gotta get up- Emma and Bella are waiting outside, we're gonna get a nice breakfast, then we're gonna go get our makeup done and get dressed, then we'll head over to Mako and you're going to get _married!"_

I try to be exasperated by her excitement but I can't stop a smile from spreading across my face.

"First thing- you have to get up!"

Finally complying, I stand and stretch. Cleo, her hair pulled into a bun, smiles at me. "Isla and Percy are with my parents, so we don't have to worry about them. Today is all you."

Emma and Bella are in my living room, both of them with sensible outfits on their bodies and smiles on their faces.

"Where's that breakfast you were talking about?" I ask.

"First you should get dressed," Cleo reminds me, and so I go back into my room and put on a red t-shirt, a pair of black jean shorts, and pull my hair back into a ponytail. Applying light makeup, I breathe deeply. Today is the day.

Finally, we're leaving. We end up eating at some posh hipster place that they insist will be great and isn't too bad, actually, and then we hit up a salon.

Cleo, Emma and Bella have their hair blown straight (Emma minimally since hers is already pretty straight.) Then it's pulled back into a french braid on the side, which is pinned into a sort of bun. Their makeup isn't extreme, it's just a gentle, pink lipstick with regular eyeliner and mascara. I have the same makeup look, but with a darker shade of lipstick. My hair, however, is left down in it's natural curls, with two thin french braids creating an alice-in-wonderland look. I wonder if Zane will like this, and then remind myself that _of course he will,_ he loves me. If he doesn't, well, he knows where he can shove it.

They get dressed, in the light, mint-green dresses I picked out. They're loose and flowy, but Emma and Cleo's show of their figures well enough. Bella, however, at seven months pregnant, doesn't have much of a figure to show off. They all look great,

Now it's my turn. I step into my dress- it took months to find- and begin to adjust it.

It's floor length with my high heels, the skirt a simple pleated design that comes to a pinch at my waist. The v-neck is a modest length and the straps are about in inch thick. It's fitted perfectly and a "blushing white," as the saleswoman said. The thing that makes the dress, though, are the tiny, embroidered flowers that stem from the straps and run all the way down to my feet. I look at myself once more in the mirror before joining the girls outside.

"Oh, Rikki," Cleo says, her hands over her mouth. Tears form in her eyes as she looks at me.

"Hey," I mock-warn, "don't go crying on me. We just had our makeup done."

Nodding, Cleo simply pulls me into her for a hug. Bella and Emma join us, the three of us forming a tight ring.

"Geez, look at us," I finally say, pulling away. "Growing up, getting married."

They laugh, and then we leave. The boat ride to Mako is quick.

Once there, I quietly find my father while they greet the guests and get settled. He looks very handsome, dressed up in a tuxedo. "Oh, honey," he sighs upon seeing me. I smile at him.

"You look so beautiful. I- I'm so _proud_ of you." Tears spill onto his face and I hug him tightly.

"Alright," he finally says, "I think it's time."

I smile at him and then we begin our walk, turning a corner of the beach so that the isle is right there.

I don't look up, only keep my face hidden behind the veil.

Once we're at the end, though, I hug my dad one last time and then face Zane. He lifts the veil and we make eye contact.

The rest of the day is a blur. He says his vows-

"Rikki, you stole my spark plug on the very first day that we met. That's how our story starts, with a felony. Some people might think that's a little unusual, but, to be honest, I think it's perfect. Anyone who knows you knows that you're fiery, and smart, and funny. You stand up for yourself- your passionate. This is why I love you. How to better embody these traits than steal the spark plug of the boy you hate and then rescue the girl who he foolishly tries to set adrift on the broken boat and then steal _that?_ From the very first time we kissed, I knew something amazing was going on. This- this feeling couldn't be normal, right? What do you call something like this? It wasn't for a long time that I was able to figure out that it's called love. I love you, Rikki Chadwick. I love you more than I know how to put into words."

-and I say mine. We kiss, and we're married.

We're married.

Have words more beautiful ever been spoken?

Rikki Bennett.

Mr. and Mrs. Bennett.

I feel like I'm on cloud nine. The reception goes by in a flash. I dance with my friends, Isla, even twirl Percy around for a bit. I spend sometime with my Dad, including our dance, and talk to Kim. She cried pretty hard during the reception, and I was a little touched. Who knew Kim cared so deeply? Lewis and Will give me their congratulations and love, and they both get tight hugs. But I spend the most time just by Zane's side, not speaking, only loving him.

Finally, around midnight, we get back to our apartment. Cleo, Lewis, Bella and Will had left a little earlier to put the kids to bed, but everyone else left when we did, most of them a little tipsy. Not Zane, or me, though. We're not forgetting a moment of this night.

Getting undressed, I wash my face. I'm too tired to shower so I just pull my hair back and out on some PJs before hopping into bed.

"Hey," Zane whispers, getting in beside me. I snuggle up to him, savoring his warmth.

I don't know when our clothes come off, but it is gentle and caring. Our bodies find comfort in each other, our passion is filling up the room. "Rikki," Zane whispers in my ear, his voice as cool as the moonlight. I know this is more than just "sex." This is truly "making love."

"I need you more than anything," he tells me once we're finished, curled up next to each other in the darkness.

"I need you, too. I love you so, so much. I love you. I love you, Zane. My beautiful husband."

He brushes my hair away. "My beautiful wife."

My hand finally finds his. Sleep comes easily.


	67. Chapter 67

**Hey guys! Wella chapter today! A couple of you have recommended the spelling Mika for the baby's name, and I agree that it sounds more feminine, so I'm going with that. There's gonna be a surprise this chapter!**

 **DA**

Chapter 67- Bella's POV

I wake up really early- it's only 5 or so in the morning. Will, sound asleep next to me, doesn't stir as I stand. Going out into our living room, I sit with my legs folded on the couch and close my eyes. Even though I'm dead tired, I know there's no way I can go back to bed. Once I wake up, I'm up, especially recently. The baby has been … really difficult these past few days. Sometimes, I can only stand up for a few minutes at a time. Other times, I have to stay in bed all day, weak from a migraine or violently sick. During my better spells, I can almost interact with everyone as before, but those times are rare. I'm worried that Percy isn't getting enough time with me, or Will, honestly, but I can't really help it. I'm just … so tired.

Suddenly the couch shifts and i'm startled out of my daze. Snapping my eyes open, I see Will sitting next to me. I look at him in silence, and he only stares forward, his forehead creased with worry. Neither of us speak. I want to, I want to tell him to go back to bed, I'm okay, he should sleep, but I can't. I don't have it in me. Instead, Will only puts one arm around my shoulders and sighs, drawing me close to him. The fear in the room is tangible.

"Bella," he eventually says, brushing away some of my hair. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I whisper back, "there's not a lot of pain today."

"That's not what I mean," he continues, "I mean … Are you okay? I'm so afraid. I know you must be, too."

I feel tears bud in my eyes and bite my lower lip. "I can't lose her, Will."

"I know," he says after a beat. "I know."

We snuggle closer, my seven-and-a-half month along baby bump serving as a slight barrier. Just then, Percy wakes up and begins to bawl. Will gets him, calms him, and sit back down. The room is dark and warm and I can almost feel myself falling asleep again, miraculously, when a zap runs through my hips.

"Ah," I exclaimed, clutching my stomach.

"What?" Will asks, immediately afraid.

I focus on my breathing until I can think again. "Nothing," I finally pant, "just felt like- AH!" This time, the pain in sharper and I squeeze shut my eyes, falling onto my knees. Will puts Percy down on the couch and kneels beside me. "Bella," he says, shaking me. "Are you okay? Can you hear me?"

I can barely nod and try not to scare him too bad. I mean, this is nothing. Stuff like this happens all the time, right?

Suddenly, a gush of liquid floods my front, wetting our carpet. "God," I say through clenched teeth as another pain disables me.

"Bella, your water broke! You're- you're having the baby!" Will says, fear, panic, and excitement in his voice. My heart thuds as I try to catch my breath.

"No-" I grunt, "no, it's too- early!" I'm shaking. She can't come now- there are too many complications that come with premature birth!

"Come on," Will says, trying to stand me up, "we've gotta go to the hospital!"

I attempt getting up but another unbearable pain weakens my knees and I fall again, crying out as I squeeze Will's hand. This doesn't feel right- Dr. Ly said the contractions wouldn't be too bad for a while, or this close together. And there's more than just the zap between my hips- my abdomen feels like it's being torn apart.

"Will," I manage to say, "check for blood."

He reaches in my pants and, sure enough, there is blood. Suddenly I'm being held newly-wed style. Are we getting married? That must be nice …

Another contraction thing pushes me back into reality momentarily but I'm getting drowsy, losing my sense of self. I hear Percy begin to wail, and then we're in the car, and he's not there anymore … it's like I'm moving in frames. I don't know when we get out of the car but now I'm in the hospital, Will's face hovering over my own.

"Bella," he says, "stay with me," but he's so blurry and I just wanna rest …

"Where's Percy?" I mumble.

"Cleo has him. They're all here. We're all here, Bells."

His voice is fading.

My eyes snap open as a stranger shoves something under my nose. "Mrs. Benjiman, we need you to push!" he instructs. I'm in so much pain, and there's so much blood. Is that normal? I push with all my might and, as soon as I begin to fade again, the smelling salts are in my face again. We continue this process for a long time, but I'm so. Weak.

The blood smells like copper. There's so much.

"Push!" they shout, but I can't. I try to, but it just hurts so bad and I'm so tired.

"Bella," Will whispers in my ear. I didn't know he was here, but now I realize I've been holding his hand the whole time. "Please, Bella. Please."

"I can't," I whimper, "I just can't. I'm so tired."

"She's lost a lot of blood," somebody says to somebody else. The doctors are talking about me. I hear a few numbers being passed around. "30%" someone says. "She won't make it much longer, like this."

"Please, Bells," Will says again, and I'm drawn back to him. "Just one more push."

Taking a deep breath, I push again. A nurse says she can see the head, but the baby isn't out yet. I push again. And again. Every time I lose strength, Will pushes my sweaty hair off of my forehead and talks to me, his voice soothing and full of fear. I push for what feels like hours, until a white light tinges my vision and the small, weak cry of a newborn baby fills the room. "Oh, Bella," Will whispers, holding her close to me, and she's so beautiful but i just want to sleep.

Machines are beeping now, the doctors are panicking. "We've gotta get her to the ER," somebody says, and Will is holding onto my hand. "Stay with me, Bells!" he shouts, and I see the baby being taken away.

"Wait," I call, my voice weak, "my baby! Stop, please!"

"She's okay, they're just gonna clean her," Will says, running beside me as my stretcher is pushed through crowds of people.

"Stay with her!" I scream, hysterically, "don't let them get her wet!"

"Okay," says Will, "okay. I love you so much, I love you so, so much, Bella!"

He fades into the background as I begin to lose consciousness again. This time, nobody wakes me with salts or instructions to push. I can feel myself fading. I'm so tired.

…

With a gasp, I wake up. It takes a moment to adjust to the bright whiteness of the room, but, when I do, I see that I'm in the hospital. Why? My hand subconsciously goes to my stomach, but it's flat. Fear sets in as I try to remember. Where's the baby?

A couple of machines beep and a nurse rushes in, his hair slicked back. "Woah," he says, pushing me down by my shoulders. "Hey, it's okay."

"Where's Will?" I say, tears in my eyes. My breathing is short. "Where's the baby?"

The nurse writes something down on his clipboard and then says, into his intercom, "Mrs. Benjamin is awake, she's requesting to see her husband." I don't correct him.

"Mr. Benjamin is in the waiting area," he finally tells me, "and your baby is fine. She's in the incubator, since she was so early, but she'll be out within the week. She's five pounds exactly, 18 inches."

I sigh and close my eyes. "How long have I been asleep?" I ask.

"Over two days. But you're recovering really well."

I don't speak until Will rushes in, running to the side of my bed and falling to his knees. "Oh, Bella," he whispers, taking me into his arms. The nurse excuses himself as I sob into Will's shoulder.

"I was so scared," I say, over and over. Finally, I compose myself enough to ask about Mica and Percy.

"Percy is fine," Will says, "he's been with Cleo and Lewis, with me during the day. They're all here- Cleo, Lewis, Isla, Rikki and Zane, Emma. Byron dropped in, even Kim, Don, and Sam. We were all so worried, Bells. And Mica is fine- she's so beautiful, Bella. She's amazing. As soon as you're strong enough, they said you can come see her. But she's perfect."

I smile, tears staining my cheeks. "You filled out all the papers? And they didn't get her wet? Or me?"

"No, you're both fine. I used an allergy excuse- Lewis gave me the idea. And yes, I filled out the paperwork. I spelled her name "M I K A," if that's okay. It just seemed to fit."

I nod. It does fit, it's more girly this way. "I want to see her," I whisper.

"You will. She's okay, Bella. We're all okay."


	68. Chapter 68

**Hey guys, this is going to be a short and sad chapter. A lot of this is actually personal work that I wrote when I went through a really hard breakup. Hope you enjoy.**

 **DA**

Chapter 68- Kim's POV

I'm just sitting on the couch, in my robe and under my blanket, and maybe a little too hot. And then that feeling comes in my face, that feeling of tears that want to come out but they can't. I'm just watching the Bachelor and wanting to cry, because I can't kiss her anymore. I'm not allowed to hold her hand. Even though I'm at home, I at least could've been texting her, but no. She ruined it.

 _Shut up, you cow, don't insult her!_ I think angrily. _She is are a fucking idiot. She deserves better._

Casey killing me, and I can't cry to my mother, because she doesn't know that I ever loved her. My mother is gone. I can't cry to my friends, because they are our friends. They have no bias.

The only person I have ever felt okay crying to is her, but I can't tell _Casey_ how much _Casey_ hurt me. I can't tell _her_ how angry and sad and broken I am without _her_. I can't tell _her_ what _she_ did to me, because, even after all the pain she shoved down my throat, I never want to hurt her. I never want to hurt her.

I think of the last look she ever gave me as my girlfriend. Obviously, she knew what was coming. Already, I was scared that this would be the period at the end of the best sentence of my life. And I was right to be scared.

I wondered if, maybe, she was joking.

Like, maybe she thought it would be funny to give me that rush of everything bad and then put me back together with a smile and a laugh. "I'm kidding," she'd say, and she'd kiss me on the lips.

We'd walk away together.

Because Casey and Kim are the best team out there- those are her words! What happened to that team? And what happened to "I love your hair and your lips"? And what happened to "I love you"?!

We could've gotten better together. Instead, she left, so she could be okay without me. And I could get worse, alone.

I mean, maybe it would be enough if I could just hold her hand sometimes. Maybe, if I could just kiss her knuckles every once and awhile, I could be okay again. Or, maybe, if we just walked outside alone for a few minutes, I might be able to breathe again. Maybe that's all I want. Maybe that's all I need.

I felt so beautiful, with her, you know?

I felt like I had flowing hair and silver eyes and a smile that lit up the world. I felt like had lovely, paper skin and long eyelashes. I felt like I had petite feet and a small waist and long, slender legs. I felt like I had gentle, soft hands. I felt like I had full lips and small hips. I felt like I was beautiful.

And then she ripped my heart away, and she told me that she didn't love me anymore.

She left me hanging there in that beautiful place of love, but she wasn't holding me there anymore.

It hurt when I fell.

My hands and knees got scraped and I bled.

And I remembered that I have short, thin hair and pale skin and blotches and thin lips and fat hips and a huge waist and thick legs and blue eyes and short lashes. And she was up in that beautiful place without me, because there wasn't enough room for both of us. Even though she let go of me, I haven't quite stopped holding onto her. I'm driving myself insane.

JESUS! IF I HADN'T LET MYSELF GET SO FUCKING _**FATFATFATFATFAT**_ SHE WOULDN'T HAVE LEFT!

I don't know what to do.

I don't know what to do.

Laying in my bed, I think of nothing but Casey. She is my goddess and I'm going to die without her. I'm going to die.

At last, I am almost asleep, but then I half-dream about her head on my shoulder, and my body jolts awake, saying, _Don't think about her! It's time to move on._

Despite this, however, she haunts my head all night, forcing me to remember all the good times, and waking up becomes so. much. harder.


	69. Chapter 69

**Hey guys! So, once again, this story is going to skip ahead 6 months. This is the final skip in PART 1, so everything is going to come together pretty soon! In case anyone's wondering about PART 2, it's going to be about the kids (Mika, Percy, Isla and others) and their high school experience, very similar to the actual show but with the new characters. There should be about 10 chapters before we go to PART 2. Anyway, hope you enjoy!**

 **DA**

Chapter 69- Emma's POV

I wake up bright an early with a tingly feeling in my chest- today is my 500 day anniversary with Byron. I know I'm a total little girl for even _knowing_ that, but we celebrated our 100, six months, and, more recently, 1 year. I was a little disappointed thinking that we wouldn't have much anything to commemorate, and I figured we'd be near our 500 at a 16 months, so I just calculated it. I told Byron (blushing with embarrassment) but he thought we should definitely celebrate, so we're going out today!

I'm so glad everything's finally settled down around here. Bella, after having Mika, was in the hospital for a while but, after coming home, had no more complications. Mika is fine, too, and she's so adorable! With hair as brown as her brother's, something we all jokingly question Bella about (are you seeing some suave brunette on the side?) and wide blue eyes, she's too cute to handle. Percy, too- it's unbelievable that he's almost a year and 9 months old. Will and Bella are doing great. They bought a house in Cleo and Lewis neighborhood, leaving only me and Rikki and Zane still in the apartment.

Speaking of Cleo and Lewis, they're doing okay. Isla is almost two, and she's incredible. She knows all our names, her blonde hair is so frizzy and cute, she has the rosiest cheeks you've ever seen. She's just so sweet, too, rarely throws fits, always listens to her parents. She and Percy are the best of friends.

Cleo and Lewis, on the other hand, are still struggling. They're better, of course, but it's still so hard. The first time they slept together again, about 5 months ago, Cleo called me in tears the minute things ended. "I wanted it to feel good," she said over the phone, "but _God,_ Em, I thought I was gonna be sick."

I assured her many times that that was okay, she just needed time, it was so good that she was trying. I know they've been active since then, and it's getting easier everyday, but sometimes she still flinches hard at his touch or pulls away from his lips. Sometimes, even, she spends whole days at my place or Bella's or Rikki's, holding Isla close the whole time because that old, paralyzing fear has set back in. She always recovers, though, and it's been happening less and less often.

Rikki and Zane, on the other hand, have been just classic newlyweds. More in love than we'd like to see sometimes, they are inseparable. I haven't seen Rikki this happy, since … well, since ever. I used to think she and Zane were awful for each other- when she first told us they were dating, I was _furious-_ but now I can't imagine a better pair. They're the type of couple that makes you believe in "meant to be."

Anyway, right now I'm just getting dressed in a pair of jean khakis and a purple tank top. Byron and I are getting breakfast and then going for a scenic hike. It should be really fun, and, after talking to the girls, I've been considering telling him about the whole "I'm a mermaid" thing. I'm not too worried, actually. Whereas I'm _sure_ most people would lose their minds if they learned about something as crazy as this, Byron is a pretty chill guy. I feel like if anyone could accept me, it's him.

I grab a water bottle, my keys and phone, and my purse and begin to head out.

What I see on my floor, however, makes me weak in the knees.

No.

NO!

I haven't gotten one for _months-_ why now?! Why now, when everything is finally beginning to settle down! I honestly thought this was _over!_ I'm not even afraid at the moment- I'm just _mad!_ I storm over and pick up the tiny piece of paper in one motion.

 **I was right- she is going to tell the bad person. It is necessary for you to leave with your friends now, because if you do not she will find you.**

I read it so many times the words start to lose meaning. Suddenly, my phone buzzes. I jump.

 _Hey, coming soon?_ It reads. Crap, Byron. I forgot about him in finding the note- how can I go out now?

 _It's your 500 day anniversary, and this was your idea! You've gotta go, just … you'll deal with this later,_ I tell myself, and then throw the note into one of my drawers and leave the house. I guess I'm not going to tell Byron about the mermaid thing today, not with all this going on again.

I get home around 7 in the evening, smiling from my day. It was so fun, God, I really think Byron is the one. He's just so … wonderful.

As soon as I shower and get in my PJs, though, I grab the note and read it again. It doesn't make sense! Why can't the sender tell me who they are, or who the person who knows is, or who the "bad person" is?! It's exasperating. What, we're supposed to up-and-leave- pack up our families, our lives- because of some note that contains literally _no_ information?!

I throw it down and open my laptop. _Angi_ I put into the search bar, trying to think of anything else that would identify her. _Charlotte must've had her for a while,_ I think, so I add the words "missing person" and then press enter.

Immediately, dozens of articles come up. "Angi Sodhi presumed dead after six months missing," "Angi Sodhi disappears while in Ireland" "Angi Sodhi found after 8 months, returns home under mysterious circumstances." I look at some images and confirm that this is the same girl we knew, and then begin searching for anyway to contact her. After a little searching, I find her facebook. Luckily, it's public, and she has her email address listed.

 _What should I say?_ I think. _I can't be too specific._

Finally, I begin to write. "Angi, it's Emma Gilbert from the Gold Coast. I was one of the girls you helped while you were here- thanks again, by the way! I've been getting some letters recently and I can't quite place the sender. Is it you? Please write back! By the way, did you hear about the oil spill?

Everything under the sea could be in danger!

All the best, Emma."

Of course, there was no oil spill. But I need her to know that this is serious, and you can't mention things like the fact that you're a mermaid on the internet. I hope she'll get my drift.

Around 10 pm, my phone buzzes.

"Hi Emma,

No I did not hear about the spill. Thank you for telling me! That's very important information. Unfortunately, I did not write your letters. I hope you find the sender soon.

In regards to the oil spill, I think I'll fly out and help with the cleanup out there. I've been looking for a reason to visit again, and an oil spill could definitely reach me all the way over here in India, too, and then I'd be in danger!

See you soon.

Angi."


	70. Chapter 70

**Hey guys,**

 **Sorry about not updating last week- I was very busy! Anyway, there is more coming about Kim but, since that's family stuff, I figure Emma wouldn't know much about it. There's a Cleo chapter coming next week, but for now here's a long-awaited Bella chapter.**

 **DA**

Chapter 70- Bella's POV  
I sit, rocking back and forth, with MiKa in my arms. She fell asleep a while ago, but I just like sitting with her, sometimes. She's so wonderful.

"Hey, hun," Will says, poking his head into the nursery, "is she asleep yet?"

"Yeah," I respond, standing carefully, "Let me just put her down." I set my baby in her crib and take a step back, staring at her perfect, chubby little face as she breathes in and out softly. Percy is at a birthday party for one one of the kids in his mommy-and-me class (Cleo took him, with Isla, so I could have a day off.)

Coming up behind me, Will wraps his arms around my waist and looks at Mika, too. "She's such an angel," he says, and I smile, brushing one dark curl out of her face. Her fuzzy hair is still just a halo around her head, but it's definitely got a curl to it. Will calls it the baby-frizz, because Percy and Isla had it for a while, too. Mika has the same mousy brown hair as her brother, a fact that neither Will nor I can understand- where did they get brown from two blonde parents? Cleo and Lewis have tried to explain it's possible-ness, but Will still jokes that I'm having an affair with a dashing brunette.

"Yeah," I agree, "she is." We stand in silence for a few more minutes before Will gently turns me around and kisses me, his touch gentle. I smile against him and put my arms around his neck.

"You're so beautiful," he says, after pulling away. We're looking deeply into each other's eyes and I blush before kissing him again, and then leading him out of the nursery and closing the door with a soft click.

"Do you want anything for lunch?" I ask, since it's around noon. Will, however, takes my hand and pulls me back to him, kissing me once again.

"Bells," he says, "I'm not that type of hungry, right now."

I raise my eyebrows and smirk at him. "Well, then, should we move to the bedroom?"

He nods and leads me away, into the soft comfort of our bed and our bodies. I shut my eyes and allow myself to love him, because what else can I do? Will and the kids- they are my everything.

"Bella," he whispers to me a little while later, when we're curled up next to each other. "I love you more than you know possible."

"No," I respond, resting my head on his chest. "I know exactly what you mean. I love you more than I love anything else in this world, besides the kids, but that's a different type of love. You are my soul."

Will takes a deep breath and his grip on my arm tightens slightly. I never want to leave this moment, but, eventually, Mika starts crying and I know that I have to go feed her.

Later in the day, Will and I are sitting in the living room, and I'm reading my book while he watches the news. "Hey," he says, sitting down next to me, "When is Percy getting back?"

"Cleo said she'll drop him off around five," I respond, leaning against him. The newsman is speaking in a quick, clipped tone and I try to tune him out as I read. Will puts his arm around my shoulder.

"Hey," he says after a while, "What's going on between Lewis and Cleo?"

Will knows all about Leena- I didn't tell him until months after, though, when he asked.

"I think they're doing okay," I respond. "Things have definitely been better. Cleo is really a strong girl."

Will nods. "I still can't imagine Lewis doing that, though. He's such a good guy."

I nod. "Some people do crazy things."

We don't say anything else, but I keep thinking about Cleo. That couldn't have been easy. I wonder if I could have put up with the same from Will.

Don't think about that, I tell myself. Will would never. He leans his head against mine and squeezes my hand. I wonder if he's thinking about the same thing.

"Are they gonna have any more kids?"  
Assuming he's still talking about Cleo and Lewis, I respond saying that I don't know. "They might, but not yet. Especially now."

"What about Rikki and Zane?"

"Zane … he can't have biological kids. He found out before the wedding. They might adopt, but I don't know … Rikki says she hasn't really decided. She has a lot of stuff with her own mom, it's probably a scary concept for her."

"Hmm, yeah. What about Emma and Byron? Do you think they'll get married?"

"Maybe. They've been dating for over a year now, and they really seem to like each other. I hope so. I know Emma has always wanted a wedding. But, even if they don't, and can see their relationship lasting a long, long time. Not everyone get's married."

Things are quiet. Will and I aren't married, but it's mostly because both of our parents got messy divorces. Neither of us want to go through that, or put the kids through that. Besides, we're married in our hearts. We love each other more than any piece of paper could prove.

"It's funny," says Will. "I always thought that, at twenty-five, I'd just be settling down, if that. I never thought I'd have you, or two beautiful kids.

"Me neither," I respond, "but I can't imagine being happier."

He shifts against me and I put my head into his lap, cuddling up to him. "I love you," he whispers, running his fingers through my hair, and I don't say anything, only smile.

Just then, however, the doorbell rings and I get up to get it. "Hello- oh, hey, Cleo," I say, stepping aside to let her in. She's carrying Percy on one hip, Isla holding her hand.

"Thank you so much for watching him," I say, taking my baby from her and kissing his head.

"Oh, no problem," Cleo responds, "he was great. He's such an easy baby."

I smile, and then look down to Isla, who's shyly hiding her face in Cleo's leg. "How was the party, Isla?" I ask. "Did you have fun?"

Silence sits for a few seconds, and, after getting a nod of approval from Cleo, the little girl lisps "Yeth," her cheeks pink. I laugh and give Cleo a hug before she heads out. Isla is such a beautiful little girl. With the cross between Cleo's features and Lewis's blonde hair, she's actually turning out to look a lot like Kim.

Walking back into the living room, I find Will still on the couch. As soon as he sees me with Percy, however, he lights up and walks over. "Hi!" says Will, taking Percy. "Hi, little dude. What's up? How was the party?" Percy laughs and squeals the word "Dada!" over and over. I smile, and then, upon hearing a fuss through the baby monitor, go and get Mika. We eat dinner together, and I know that what i said earlier was true. I can't imagine being happier.


	71. Chapter 71

**Hey guys! Cleo chapter today!**

Chapter 71- Cleo's POV

I'm almost asleep, but Lewis is snoring and so I can't quite shut off my mind entirely. It must be early morning by now. I hate this feeling.

Finally, after a while more of trying to will myself to sleep, I stand up and slip quietly into the kitchen. I'll just take a melatonin or something, I have work tomorrow, I've got to get to sleep …

As soon as I walk into the kitchen, however, I'm startled out of my stupor. Isla is standing in the square of moonlight from our window, her small head tilted up. "Honey," I say, rushing to her and kneeling down, "what are you doing out of bed?"

She doesn't seem to hear me. Gently taking her shoulders, I turn Isla towards me, and she slowly shifts her gaze to my face. Her eyes are glazed over. "Hey," I say, brushing some hair out of her face, "hey, what's wrong?"

Isla stares at me with wide, hazel eyes. "My bed," she whispers. I shake my head in confusion.

"What about your bed, sweet heart?"

"Water."

I open my mouth and then close it again. "Did you turn your bed into water?" She hasn't been able to liquify anything that big, or even close.

She nods, but barely. I touch her cheek softly. "It's okay, hun. You can sleep with Daddy and me tonight."

Turning back towards the window, Isla sits down. "Hey," I say, trying to get her to stand again, "come on, love. You've gotta to go sleep."

She is staring outside so intently that I take a peak and then it all makes sense. It's a full moon.

God, it's been so long since the moon affected Rikki, Emma, Bella and I that I basically forgot about its powers. But Isla is certainly not immune. I wonder if she's gone through this before, or this is the first time. Maybe she wasn't old enough to feel its effects before now. "Hey," I say for the third time, "we're going to bed, okay, sweetie?" She still doesn't respond, but I pick her up and carry her out of the room. Putting her arms around my neck, Isla does respond to me holding her, but I can feel her eyes still watching the moon. Finally, we get back to my bedroom and I set her gently down beside Lewis and then crawl in next to her. I give Isla one of my pillows and then draw her close to me. She burrows into my side and is asleep within minutes.

The next morning, I wake up to the feeling of her tiny body climbing out of bed, over me. I don't open my eyes but I listen to her pad out of the room and smile, glad that last night is over. I roll onto my side and try to go back to sleep, but Lewis begins to toss and turn, waking up after a minute. "What?" he says, sitting up in bed in confusion.

"Nothing," I mutter, "go back to sleep. Isla was here, but she's okay."

"Okay," responds Lewis without much fight. We're both tired, and have a while before we need to get up for work.

As soon as I'm drifting off again, however, Isla bounds back into our room. "Mama," she whispers, her face an inch away from mine and her breath hot, "Mamaaa."

Sighing, I open my eyes and sit up, lifting her onto my lap. "What is it, baby?"

She wiggles out of my grasp and runs into the hall, forcing me to stand and follow. Eventually, she leads me to the front door, and I look through the peephole. Emma is on my porch. What is she doing here so early? The sun has barely risen.

I set Isla on my hip and open the door. Emma is dressed and showered and I glare at her. "What do you want?" I ask, grumpy. Isla puts her thumb in her mouth and I shoo it away. We're trying to discourage that habit.

"Hey, Cleo, I'm so sorry for coming over this early," Emma apologizes, "but I tried to call. Anyway, Angi is coming here to stay, if that's okay. She doesn't have anywhere else to go, and … the notes are coming again."

I stare at her in surprise. "Oh," I finally stutter, "um- I'll have to ask Lewis."

"Of course," Emma says. We exchange a few more pleasantries but all I can think of is the fact that Angi is back. Isla rests her sleepy head on my shoulder and I tighten my grip around her. Nothing will ever hurt you, baby, I think, stroking her hair.

I won't let it.


	72. Chapter 72

**Hey! Again, trigger warning with this chapter.**

 **DA**

Chapter 72- Kim's POV

I walk out of my first class of the day and immediately sit down on the bench outside. Everything is cold. I pull my sweater tighter around my body and close my eyes as the wind hits me hard. It's so cold.

Feeling the bench shift under me, I look left. A short Asian girl is sitting next to me, her wavy black hair blowing over her face and getting stuck to her lipstick. "Hi," she says, her tone clipped but friendly.

I look at her for a second too long, because I'm tired and I can't come up with a way to open my mouth, and so it takes me a while to whisper a greeting back. "Hi."

"I'm Eavie," she continues. I don't know why she's talking to me- nobody should talk to me. Nobody wants to talk to me. I wouldn't, if I had that choice. She's a stranger. She should just leave me alone.

"Kim," I say, my voice course. I haven't really said anything in awhile. It's easy, when there's nobody around.

There is silence as I draw my knees to my chest. I feel my hips bruise as my thigh bones dig into them. There shouldn't be anything left to bruise.

"Hey, so I'm sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you know where the Wagner Arts Building is?"

Her voice is pretty. I don't tell her that, though. I wonder what Casey is doing right now. Or Cleo. I'm glad I left for school when I did. If things had gone on much longer, I might have been noticed. People start to notice things, after a while.

If I was noticed, though, they'd make me eat.

There's a reason FAT is just EAT missing a line, you know. I cannot get fatter than I am.

"Yes," I whisper, "I do. That's where my next class is. It's a ten minute walk from here."

"Oh," the girl exclaims, "are you going there now? If so, could I walk with you? I'm a dummy with directions."

I look at her again. She's got to be kidding. Why would anyone want to walk with me?

"I'm going in a few minutes. I'm just catching my breath."

"Great!" Eavie says. She's so happy. I wonder why.

Absentmindedly, I trace the scars beneath my sleeves.

"What class do you take there?"

Again with the questions. She should just let me sleep.

"A pottery class."

"That's really cool! I'm taking photography, but I just started this term. This is my first class, actually. I'm a little nervous. I'm not really an arts student, I just thought it would be fun."

I nod ever so slightly. Bouncing a little nervously, Eavie makes it clear that she's eager to go. Eventually, I stand, forcing the ground to stop swaying beneath me. "Oh! Are we going now?"

Once more, I nod. It's still too cold. Eavie sips her iced coffee. 110 calories.

Nothing for food today, 150 calories burned so far from walking. It's getting harder to exercise. I know I'm going to have to eat an apple later. I can't go on nothing for more than a day or two, but the thought still makes me cringe.

"So what year are you in?" she asks.

"Second at Uni," I say back. This conversation doesn't seem quite so hard.

"I'm first, but it's been really fun so far! Are you from New South Wales?"

"Queensland."

"Wow! I've never been, but I've always meant to. It'd be so easy, you know? Just drive up."

"Where are you from?" I ask because her accent is unusual. It definitely isn't Australian, but it's not from anywhere in the UK, either. Nor do I associate it with the southern, U.S drawl.

"Oh! I'm from Connecticut, in America. I'm just out here for school."

I nod.

"My mother grew up in South Korea, but my father is from New York. I lived in California when I was little, then we moved to the North East. It was super different there- everyone is so distant and cold! But it's for sure really nice."

I've semi-tuned her out. The walking is taking all of my focus.

"Anyway, I got into Yale, where my mom went, but I got full scholarship out here, so I decided to come have an adventure, to my parent's dismay. I'm double majoring in botany and environmental science, but it's a ton of work. Back in SoCal, my friends used to tell me that, when I moved to New England, I'd definitely become a brainiac with my nose in a book, and I guess they were a little right. Australia is way similar to SoCal, though. More similar than Connecticut was."

"What's SoCal?" The silence scares me.

"Oh, duh! Southern California! Sorry, I totally forget that we're not in the U.S sometimes. Like, seriously, my roommate was so confused when I kept telling her this story about Stop and Shop- it's a store in New England. When my dad was little, he used to think it should be called stop, shop, and go. He thought they shouldn't keep you there forever- what a noob!"

I don't bother to ask what a "noob" is.

"Hey," Eavie says, after taking a breath, "you okay? You look pale."

I am pale. The wind is blowing too hard and I'm shaking. I sit down, even though we're in the middle of the sidewalk. She's drained me.

"Hey, woah, you okay?!"

"I'm fine," I whisper, "fine." She's shaking my shoulders and her fingers are soft and feminine but not Casey's, nobody's are, and then the ringing in my ears gets too loud and everything hurts and I realize something inside of me is wrong just before I fall asleep.

"Kim, darling, it's daddy. I'm here." … "Kimmy, please wake up." … "We love you so much, honey."

"Her vitals are up."

"Heart failure … lack of oxygen."

I open my eyes.

The lights are so bright around me.

"Kim?"

"Kim, are you awake?"

I open my mouth to respond but there's something over it. I can't think of the word. It's like a gas mask. I can't turn my head, either.

"I think she's awake."

A doctor stands over me. He checks something. I begin to drift again.

Later, I wake up for real. The gas mask is gone, and I can move. I can breathe. Where am I?

"Kimmy, hey, we're all here," a voice says, and I turn to see Cleo, Sam, Dad, Isla, and Lewis sitting around me. I wonder why they're here. What happened?

"Honey, you were in a coma. You're heart stopped beating, and the oxygen stopped reaching your brain."

I don't say anything, don't feel like talking.

Cleo is crying. "We were so scared, Kim. But you're okay, now. You're gonna be okay." Isla is asleep in her lap.

I glance down and see the IV attached to me. I realize that it's filling me with calories.

"No," I whisper, and my voice is a scratchy whine. "Please, take it out of me! Please!"

"Shh, baby," Daddy says, standing, and he is crying, too, now. "You've gotta gain weight! I know this is hard for you, but please. I can't lose you."

I don't say anything, only try to breathe, but I'm scared and my heart is beating too fast and then stuff is going off and Isla is screaming and I'm falling asleep again. In the last second, I look outside and see Eavie in the waiting room, standing nervously. We make eye contact.

I wonder why she's here for me.

I'm not worth it.


	73. Chapter 73

**Hey guys! A long overdue Lewis chapter coming next week.**

 **DA**

Chapter 73- Rikki's POV

A phone call at 3 a.m wakes me. Sitting up, I grab the phone and press answer, mumbling a confused hello.

"Rikki?" the voice on the other end says, "It's Cleo. So I know Angi was supposed to stay with Lewis and me, but … something's come up. Can she please stay with you? Bella can't take her, not with two kids and Mika being so little, and Emma's apartment is so tiny …"

I'm still confused and a little annoyed. If it hadn't been so early, I would have heard the panic in Cleo's voice, but instead I asked, "What's come up? Is it that important?"

"It's Kim…" Cleo continues, and now I do hear the edge of tears in her voice. "She's in the hospital, in a coma. The doctors say she's anorexic …" her voice drops low. "She's only 98 pounds, Rikki, seven stone."

Jesus, Kim must be at least five foot nine. I feel sick.

"Oh my god, Cleo, are you okay? Do you need us to come down? Where are you?"

"I'm in New South Wales at the hospital, and, no, it's okay. My dad and Sam are here, and Lewis and Isla. Kim's been out for a whole day."

"Is she ...going to be okay?" I ask this way because I can't bring myself to say the word die.

"I don't know… she's so small, Rikki. I was holding her and I could feel every single one of her bones. I should've known, I saw her finger, and then, after Casey, she didn't talk to anybody for days … we should've known something was wrong! I should've … oh, Isla is crying. I have to feed her. Please at least pick up Angi from the airport this morning, Emma will give you the details, just go down to her apartment at five. And please tell the girls about Kim. I can't do another phone call like this."

"Okay, of course. Are you okay, Cleo?"

There is quiet. "We'll see."

The line goes dead. I lay down slowly on the now-cool pillow and listen to my own heartbeat. "Hey," Zane eventually mutters, "who was that?"

"Cleo. She wants to know if we can host Angi."

"What? Why?"

"Kim … she's in the hospital. She's in a coma."

"What? Oh my god, why? Is she going to be okay?"

"I … I don't know. She's anorexic. She's only seven stone."

"Shit. She's really … in a coma?"

"Yeah … I don't know what Cleo would do if anything … happened. Jesus, I've known Kim since she was ten years old … how did nobody notice?"

"I don't know. People with issues like that are good at hiding. Her girlfriend broke up with her, right? … Do you think that's why this started?"

"I don't know … from what it sounded like, this has been going on for much longer than that. To get to seven stone, at her height … that doesn't happen quickly."

I feel Zane's hand clasp mine in the dark and breathe in deeply.

"She'll be okay," he whispers. "And Angi can stay here. That's fine."

"Okay," I whisper back, curling up against his side.

There is long silence, but I don't think either of us sleep.

The next morning, I wake up at five and go downstairs to Emma's apartment. Knocking on the door, I wait only a few seconds for a response. Emma opens the door with a, "Hey, Cle- oh, hi, Rikki. What are you doing here?"

"Cleo, uh, asked me to come. Angi is going to stay at my place instead."

Emma looks at me with confusion, her long, blonde hair pulled back. "Why?"

"Um, Cleo and family are up in New South Wales. Kimis in the hospital, she's in a coma. She's anorexic."

"Oh my god, what? Does Cleo need us to come up? Is she gonna be okay? Does she- should we-" Emma stutters out and is left gap-mouthed. This must be weirder for her. She's known Kim since she was born.

"I think everything's okay, Cleo says she's with Don and Sam, and Lewis and Isla, so I don't think we're needed. We should probably just go get Angi, maybe we can call later, see if she needs us."

"Yeah, yeah, you're right. Ok, I'll … I'll get my keys."

She walks back into her apartment and grabs her keys. On the way to the airport, we don't speak. Seven stone …

I think of the last time I saw Kim. It must have been 5 months ago, now.

Did I notice the way her shoulder blades protruded far too much?

Did I wonder why she ate none of whatever was offered?

Did I worry when she ran a hand through her hair and came back with several strands?

Did any of this happen?

Did I care?

Imagine how Don and Sam must feel, I think, and Cleo.

We pull up to terminal A around six thirty and Angi is standing there. She has on jeans and a blue, button down shirt.

"Emma," she says, "Rikki. It's nice to see you." Her face, however, is grim. Angi puts her luggage in the trunk and then gets in the back seat. "Where's Cleo?" she asks. "You said she would be picking me up."

"She had a … family emergency," Emma says, and Angi nods once, staring out the window.

"So … what have you been up to?" I eventually ask the Indian girl.

"Well, after I returned, there was a lot to sort out. My grandfather passed away during my absence and my daughter had to live with my brother and his wife," she says, never looking up.

"You have a daughter?" Emma asks, and I relate to the surprise in her voice. Angi was taken away from so much.

"Yes," the girl responds, "Manna." Her voice has taken on a soft edge. "She's five years old as of last week."

I glance back at Angi. She's closed her eyes.

"Why didn't she stay with your spouse, or your parents?" Emma asks. I have a feeling this is a touchy subject. Emma has never been the most in-tune with that stuff. Not that I am, either. If only Cleo or Bella were here…

"The earthquake, in Nepal, a few years ago," says Angi. "My husband and my parents were at home when it hit. I was out with Manna. We found shelter in the basement of a co worker, but … Amma and Appa, and Lais … they were crushed."

"I'm sorry," Emma immediately says.

"Thank you," replies Angi. "I'm just grateful that Manna survived."

The rest of the ride is quiet. Eventually, we get home. Angi drops her stuff at my place and then we all go to Bella's.

Upon getting there, we're greeted by Will. "Angi," he breathes, hugging her tightly. She smiles and says nothing in response. Emma looks slightly confused but I know just how much Angi did for the boys while Charlotte was holding them.

We're ushered in and Bella walks out with an apology. "Mika, she just wouldn't go down. I had to sit with her for forty minutes before she finally fell asleep. Anyway, hello! Angi, it's so nice to see you!"

They hug as well and then we all sit on Bella's couch. I fill her in on Kim. Her eyes grow wide.

As I finish explaining, Percy comes running in with a squealed "Mama!" and throws himself onto Bella's legs. She scoops him up and holds him close.

"Is this your son?" Angi asks.

"Yes," says Bella.

Percy peers at Angi with wide blue eyes. "Say 'hi,' honey," Bella urges.

Grinning, Percy obliges. Just then, Mika starts crying from her bedroom. Will comes out a second later with her in his arms.

"I didn't know you had children," comments Angi. She smiles at Mika, who is now whimpering and red faced.

"Yeah," says Will. Bella comes up to him and takes Mika.

"Why don't you take them to the store?" she suggests, bouncing her daughter. Will nods and grabs his keys and shoes, then says goodbye to Angi.

"It was great seeing you," he says, and then looks her dead in the eye and adds, "Thank you. For everything."

She nods with the smallest smile. Will and the kids leave.

"So," Emma says, "we all know what we're here about. The letters. They've been getting worse."

"Didn't you say you thought they were referring to Denman?" I ask. Angi and Bella have both been fully informed.

"Yes, but there are three people we're trying to identify here: whoever is sending these letters, whoever knows our secret, and whoever the person who knows might tell. I think the third is Denman, because she knew once, and, if she found out again, it would be catastrophic."

I nod.

"So whoever's sending the letters must know about us, too, right?" Bella chimes in.

"Yeah."

"Who knows?" asks Angi.

We begin to list names. The list isn't too long.

Bella, Emma, Cleo, and me, obviously. Will, Zane, and Lewis. Isla and Mika know, on account of having tiny green tails of their own, but they're obviously not suspects. Charlotte, but she's dead. Angi. Ash.

"Are you sure Ash didn't tell anyone?" asks Bella.

"I can't be positive, but he swore. I trust him," Emma says.

We sit in silence. Eventually, I speak up. "Assuming it's not any of the girls, or the boys, that only leaves Ash and Angi. But they both swear they didn't do it. I don't know Ash that well but I trust Emma, and of course Angi didn't do it. Think. Does anyone else know?"

We all sit in silence, foreheads wrinkled, until Bella suddenly sits straight. "Oh!" she exclaims.

"What? Who?" asks Emma.

Bella looks at all of us.

She opens her mouth.

"Sophie."


	74. Chapter 74

**Hey guys! So I'm on summer break right now, therefore my updating will probably be more sporactic (it might not be every weekend but at least once a week.) Cleo chapter next, then Bella.**

 **DA**

Chapter 74- Lewis's POV

I sit in a hard, plastic chair in the waiting room of the hospital. My eyes are heavy.

Next to me, Cleo wakes with a start. She looks around, confused for only a second before realizing where we are.

Kim's been hospitalized for almost a week now. Don, Sam, Cleo and I got a hotel room near by, and we've been taking shifts- Don and Sam sleep there one night with Isla while Cleo and I keep watch on Kim, then vise versa the next night. It's easiest, because then we don't have to pay for two rooms and Isla has a place to sleep every night. Of course, we've all been spending all day together. Kim…

We can't leave her.

"How are you?" I ask Cleo, moving a strand of hair out of her face.

"Fine," she says automatically, "I'm fine. How's Kim? Has anything changed?"

"No," I respond. I'm worried for Cleo. She's taking this harder than anyone. Kim waking up a few days ago was one of the biggest reliefs I've ever gotten- if she didn't, I don't know what any of us would have done.

"Lewis," Cleo whispers, leaning against me, "how could I not have known?"

"Because she's an adult. She doesn't rely on you for everything anymore- you both have your own lives. She lives an hour away," I respond, rubbing her shoulder. I know how guilty Cleo feels. And I know what guilt feels like.

Only, unlike me, Cleo doesn't have a reason to be guilty at all.

"But she could have died, Lewis… and she isn't an adult. She's just a kid… look at her…"

Cleo's words, though full of emotion, are also hollow. She sounds so drained.

"Cleo," I say, tightening my grip around her, "she's gonna be okay. The doctors say she's getting better every day, and there's no severe permanent damage. Okay? She's gonna be okay, I promise."

My wife doesn't say anything. Standing slowly, she stretches. "I… I'm gonna go to the bathroom."

"Okay," I respond, taking her hand. "I'll get us some coffee." Cleo nods but doesn't reply.

On my way to the dining room, I check the time. It's almost seven in the morning. Don and Sam should be back soon, with Isla.

I wonder how Don feels. He's never been the type of guy to discuss his feelings, but if Isla was ever in this much danger, let alone self-inflicted danger… I don't know what I'd do. I think of my perfect, chubby little baby girl and picture her at twenty, riddled with self hate and under 100 pounds …

I have to stop walking for a second to take a deep breath. No, Don must not be doing well at all…

On the way back to the waiting room, two coffees in hand, I bump into Eavie. Her hair is messy from the wind and her eyebrows are knitted. "How's Kim?" the girl asks. "I can't stay long, I have a seven thirty class, but is she doing better? Can I see her?"

Eavie is talking fast as she clutches her coat around her petite body. "She's doing better," I respond, "and I'm sure you can be admitted to see her if you ask."

"Really? Oh, that's great. Thanks, Lewis," says Eavie as she walks away. I nod at the girl.

According to the doctors, Eavie saved Kim's life. Upon Kim's collapsing, Eavie had immediately felt for a pulse. There was none. Eavie layed Kim out and began to give her CPR, trying to restart her heart, and instructed a stranger to call 911. An ambulance was on the scene within less than two minutes, and, as Eavie had already started the process, they were able to get Kim breathing again very quickly. We were shocked and incredibly grateful to learn that a girl whom Kim barely knew had been the one to save her, especially when Eavie stayed in the hospital for almost twelve hours after the incident and has visited every day since. We've told her that it's okay, she doesn't have to come, this isn't her responsibility, but she insists.

"I just… I need to know she's okay," said the girl to me after her third visit as we sat alone together, watching Kim's chest rise and fall.

Anyway, now she heads towards Kim's room. A nurse admits her inside and she immediately sits on the edge of Kim's bed and begins talking. When we asked her what she talks about in there, she said she just tells Kim about what's going on outside of here. Politics, current events, the new shoes that her roommate bought. "She should know," Eavie says, "so she'll be up-to-date when she gets out of here." Sometimes, the girl just talks to Kim while she sleeps, such as now. Other times, when Kim is awake, they have real conversations- not that Kim does much talking. Yesterday, though, after Eavie finished telling a particularly funny story, Kim smiled. It was small and cautious but real. Cleo had burst into tears from outside the door, clamping her hand over her mouth so Kim wouldn't hear.

Speaking of Cleo, I bump into her now, in the hall. "Hey," she says, pushing some hair out of her face, and, then, "thanks," as I hand her the coffee.

"Eavie is in Kim's room," I explain.

"Really? Great. That girl is a miracle."

"I know."

Later in the day, Don, Sam, Cleo, and I are entertaining Isla in Kim's room. Kim is awake, staring down at us with a vacant expression. The first couple of days, we'd tried to engage her in these activities, but the doctor told us she needed time to heal before joining in family fun time.

"Don Sertori?" a tall doctor says, peaking his head through the doorway.

"Yes?" says Don, pushing himself off the ground.

"Can I speak with you in private, sir?"

"What is it?" Cleo asks, standing as well.

"Let's go to my office," the doctor says.

"I'll stay with Kim," volunteers Sam. We all thank her and follow the doctor out.

"So," he says as we enter his office, "Kim is really improving- she's definitely stable. Since we don't specialize in eating disorders, we would suggest you move her to a rehab clinic. Kim needs therapy, and a live-in situation. Here is a list of the best clinics for anorexia in the region," he explains, handing over a piece of printer paper covered in names, addresses, and phone numbers.

Don nods. He doesn't say anything, and the doctor continues speaking, but I can't concentrate on him. Cleo is squeezing my hand so hard I'm afraid that my fingers are going to break.

"It's okay," I whisper into her hair, but she doesn't respond.

Eventually, we make our way back to Kim's room, where Sam is sitting on her bed, holding Isla on her lap. Before we enter, I hear Sam. "... and I know this is hard, but please, Kim. Please hold on. You're so strong, honey, and so beautiful… please hold on. For your father, and sister, and niece … for me. I love you so much, sweetie."

We walk in on that note. Kim is still awake. She looks at us. There is so much heartbreak in those eyes.


	75. Chapter 75

**Hey loves! So I know I said a Cleo chapter, but I'm actually gonna do a Kim chapter. Don't worry, still sister bonding and still Bella next week! Also, to Queers Burn, okay bye.**

 **DA**

Chapter 75- Kim's POV

I'm dozing off, the book I've been reading going slack in my hands, but then nurse Deena walks in and snaps her fingers to get my attention.

"Kim," she says, "it's time for lunch."

I stare at this middle aged woman whom I've come to love and hate so much over the last month. When my family initially told me about going to BodyMatters, I was resistant, if not outright hostile. "I don't need to go to some asylum! I am fine. Better than fine! Just because everyone else is fat and disgusting doesn't mean I'm too small! I'm still too big- only getting bigger thanks to you!"

They kept repeating that I'm only 98 pounds, as if that would make me realize something's wrong, but that number only made things worse. 98 is far too much.

"Kimmy, if you don't let us bring you here, you're going to die. Do you understand that?" Dad had asked, tears in his eyes.

"IF YOU MAKE ME GET BIGGER, I'LL DIE!" I'd screamed, but then machines had started beeping and they had to call in the doctors to put me under.

Later that week, however, it had been just me and Cleo in the room. She was asleep and I was staring at her, when she suddenly jolted up.

We made eye contact.

"Kim," she whispered, tears flooding her eyes. "Sorry, sorry, I was just … having a nightmare."

"Was it about me?" I asked. "Dying?"

Cleo stared at me. "Yes," she finally answered.

There was silence. "I don't understand how you all see me as too small," I'd finally whispered. "I'm huge. Why don't you see it like I do?"

"I don't know, Kim," she whispered, leaning her head back. "I just know that we're both scared."

I closed my eyes. The smell of that hospital was suffocating.

"Do you want to die?"

Cleo's words were startling.

"No," I eventually answered, "but, if I did, I wouldn't be too torn up."

"Why?" I looked at Cleo. She was staring at me intently and I had to consider my answer.

"Because I'm fat, ugly, stupid. Unlovable. Weak. Worthless."

"You think you're unlovable?" Cleo asked.

"Yes. I mean, I know that you love me, and Dad and Sam. But you're obligated to. If we weren't family, I'm sure you wouldn't. I don't."

"What about Lewis?" Cleo asked.

"Lewis… he's basically family."

"So? He wasn't there when you were born. He's never lived with you, or fixed you up when you got hurt. He's never tucked you in at night."

I was silent.

"And what about Isla? She's only two, she doesn't understand the mandatory aunt-niece love yet. But she loves you, so much. When I say your name, she lights up. Don't you want to be there for her? Although she loves you now, she's so little. If you die, she'll forget about you. You'll be like aunt Kathy. Do you want that?"

I was confused and whispered for her to shut up. Why is she doing this to me?

"And what about me? If you die, I'll… I don't think I'd be able to handle that."

"Stop!" I hissed, my face wet with tears.

"And Daddy? You think he'd recover? I wouldn't be surprised if he gave up."

"Stop!" I repeated, louder this time. Cleo looked at me with pleading eyes and kneeled beside my bed.

"I don't want you to feel bad, Kimmy. That's not why I'm telling you this. I just need you to at least consider going to the clinic. Because, if you don't, you will die. And everything I just said will be reality."

I stared at her, and, after a long time, finally whispered, "Okay."

Now, over a month later, Cleo, Lewis, Isla, Dad and Sam have all gone back home (after much insistence from me.) Deena, my nurse, is quite the personality, and, although I hate her when she force feeds me and tells me to my face that I'm "too thin" or "going to die if I lose another pounds."

"It's not that you're ugly, Kim," she'll whisper to me later, "it's that you're unhealthy. That's all that worries me." She'll stroke my back as I lay in bed and cry. I haven't felt so childish in years.

Besides Deena, Eavie is my closest friend at this point. Of course, Tim, the boy across the hall, makes a close third. As I walk out of my room to the cafeteria now, he bounds to my side.

"Beautiful Kimberlina," he says, "how are you on this fine morning?"

"Great, Tim, and you?"

"Lovely." He grins at me and leans in. "Don't tell anyone, but I've gained another pound."

"That's awesome," I say through gritted teeth. "Why don't tell anyone?"

"I don't want anyone knowing I've gained uptil I have time to get my six pack back," he explains with a roll of his eyes.

"Ah," I laugh. Unlike me, Tim is actually recovering mentally. He's started to see gaining as a good thing. I, on the other hand, am not allowed to see my own weight, because, on the first night that they weighed me, I had a full meltdown.

We eat lunch quickly, with Tim telling wild stories that distract me from the heavy, caloric meal… slithering into me…

Don't think like that.

After lunch, I go back to my room. Deena knocks on my door around three. "Eavie is here," she says. I perk up immediately.

"Hi!" Eavie says, walking in and sitting on my bed. When I met this girl almost two months ago, I never thought I she would save my life. And I don't just mean when she gave me CPR… no, Eavie has saved me several times after that. She was the only one who treated me like I was still human after the accident. She's the first one who made me laugh, smile. She'll tell me if I look nice, but the compliments are never forced. And… honestly, I just like her. After everything started and especially after … Casey … I didn't really have any friends. I forgot what it was to laugh until my sides hurt, to look forward to sitting in a room doing nothing just because she was there. I forgot what it was to be sarcastic, to joke around, to complain about material things. I forgot how to … live.

"How are you?" I ask, sitting up.

"Good, except this dumb fuck of a barista spelled my name E-E-V-Y. I was like okay but that's just not right? I mean, I get it's an unusual name, but why would it be spelled like that?"

I shrug and then repeat a story that Tim told me. Soon Eavie is doubled over laughing.

"Are you serious? His brothers did that?" she gasps.

"According to him!" I exclaim. Eavie sighs and runs a hand through her hair.

"Where is Tim, anyway?" she asks, looking across the hall.

"He has therapy right now," I respond, and Eavie rolls her eyes.

"Am I not theraputic enough for him?"

"Maybe get a degree first," I advise, knitting my eyebrows in mock-seriousness.

Eavie wrinkles her nose and throws a pillow at me.

"Uh!" I exclaim after the pillow falls to the ground with a thump. I throw one back at her, and then we're in a full-on pillow fight. Eavie battles her way to the edge of my bed and then sits down, whacking me over and over as I struggle to sit up and get a few blows in on her. Finally, all the pillows are on the ground and we're just sitting there, giggling and staring at each other.

Eavie's hair is all messed up and she looks so happy and pretty. As the air settles, however, her face grows serious.

"Kim…" she begins, and even though she sounds concerned, I'm not worried, because part of me knows what she is going to say. "I know we haven't known each other for very long, but I…" she trails off, and I just smile.

"I know," I say, "me too."

When Eavie kisses me, I don't pull away. Even though I know I'm fat and disgusting, she has this magical ability to make that go away for a minute. So I kiss her back.


	76. Chapter 76

Chapter 76- Bella's POV

"Hi, my love," I say, lifting Percy into my arms as he giggles and kicks his feet. "Hi, baby!"

Percy says something I can't understand but I catch the word "outside" and so I assume he wants to go out.

"Do you want to go to the beach?" I ask. Percy squeals and says "Yes! I love you!"

He's taken to telling me he loves me whenever I do something nice. I think it's quite funny, but Will wants to break the habit.

"Alright, let me get your sister up from her nap," I respond. Mika's been asleep for too long, now, anyway. Will is at work, so it's just the three of us today.

I put Percy down and walk him to Mika's room, who is asleep in her crib, dark hair splayed everywhere. Her thumb dangles near her mouth and I smile. She has a few, dark freckles on her cheeks, again, a trait she inherited from God knows where, but, when I gently lift her and she opens her eyes, I know she's ours. Her eyes are the deepest blue I've ever seen. There is something about them…

"Good morning, sleepy head," I say, brushing some hair our of her face. Mika yawns and snuggles up to me, but I can feel her full diaper and set her on the changing table.

Of course she cries as I change her, but then she whimpers to a stop, her face red and wet. "There now," I whisper, beginning to dress her, "you're okay." Percy tugs at my pant leg.

"Mika?" he asks. He's worried because she was crying.

"She's fine, buddy," I say, leaning down and kissing his forehead, "thank you for asking."

Once Mika is in her little blue sundress and swim diaper, and Percy in his trunks and a tee shirt with two palm trees on it, we head out.

At Lewis's secret beach, I let Percy splash in the little pools between the rocks and hold Mika on my laps as she dozes. By now, we know Mika is a mermaid. Like Isla, her tail is tiny and green, but Isla's scales have been fading to our gold recently. Cleo was worried at first, but it doesn't seem to be hurting her or changing anything about her. Now, Cleo's theorized that scales are kind of like teeth. Babies get their first set- green- and then their adult set comes in later, in whatever color they'll have forever. Cleo also thinks that, like skin, your scale color depends on your race. She came up with this after seeing Angi's blue tail, and it was backed up further when Angi told us about the black mermaid she knew whose tail was a deep rose color.

Anyway, we've been keeping Mika out of the water for the most part, but, unlike Isla, she was never fazed by her transformation and seems deeply connected to any form of water, especially the ocean. We haven't figured out her power yet. Sometimes, when we're out the beach, she seems to be in this whole different world. Like now. She's dozing, but there is a serenity in her eyes that makes her seem older and wiser than she does at home.

Suddenly, Mika begins to squirm. I look down at her, confused, but she only grows more alarmed. Then the crying comes, as she now forcefully tries to get out of my arms and towards the area where Percy is playing. She is screaming, looking back and forth from that area to me with such a great distress in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" I ask, and then look towards Percy, where she's been looking. But… I can't see him.

"Percy?!" I shout, immediately on my feet. I grip Mika tightly as I run towards the area where my son should be, but he's not there and I begin to panic. I see his little footprints and follow them around a bend, relief flooding my heart when I see him squatting in the sand, examining a crab. But then I realize that the surf is bad in this area, that's why I keep them away from here, and, with that realization, I see a huge wave building behind Percy. He's totally unaware and, before I can do anything, it comes crashing down.

"NOO," I scream, a guttural fear breaking my voice as I put Mika down and sprint towards Percy, whom I see resurface, face down, just as I dive in. Swimming as fast as I can, I reach Percy before I even change. When I flip him over, I see that he is bleeding. He must've hit his head. I swim back to shore and claw my way onto the sand, pressing my ear to his chest. Nothing. Mika is still screaming as I begin to push down, over and over, on his heart, along with CPR. Finally, my son gags up some water and begins to breathe again. His body is freezing and bluish.

I wipe away the blood on his forehead and check to see how deep the cut is. It's just a scratch. Thanking God, I lower myself into the sand and hold him to me.

After a few minutes, I dry, thanks to the hot Aussie sun. Now human again, I pick Percy up and then Mika, walking them back to the car. Percy is woozy. I'm in a sort of a shock.

We get home a short time later. Percy, finally realizing what happened, begins to cry. I hold him to me.

"Baby," I say, "you must _never_ go where I can't see you again, okay? Never."

He nods, falls asleep soon later. He's worn out.

Still shaken, I sit on the couch with Mika in my lap and say nothing. She leans against me, and, at one point, I realize how cool she is. I bring my nose to her head and take a deep breath. She smells fresh and salty, like the sea. At this point, Mika turns to face me. She puts her small hand on my cheek, and I look into her eyes.

They are blue, but it seems as if I'm only looking at the surface. Green tinges comes and go, and, sometimes, gold sparkles throughout them. It's as if I'm looking into the ocean.

And then I remember how she screamed and cried, alerting me to the fact that Percy was gone. How she seemed to know. How she got me there in time.

I stare at my baby. Maybe her power isn't as material as solidification, manipulation, evaporation, freezing, liquefaction, plasmafication …

Maybe it's deeper than that.


	77. Chapter 77

**Hey guys! I'm sorry I've been updating so infrequently, I'm just really busy lately. But this story is not over!**

 **Anyway, the reason I've been busy is pretty exciting! I'm getting a book published!**

 **I'm only 15 so this is really big! It should be out by the end of September, and it'll be called** ** _Proudly We Hail._** **If you're really a fan of "A Baby With A Tail," please please PLEASE check it out and buy a copy! Thanks!**

 **DA**

Chapter 76- Emma's POV

I wake up next to Byon and smile. We had such a wonderful night.

"Hey," I whisper, cuddling up to him. He opens his eyes and grins at me.

"Good morning," he says. I giggle like a little girl. "God," continues Byron, "I love waking up next to you."

He kisses the top of my head.

"How would you feel, then," I say, "about moving in together? You could stay here."

Byron glows. "I thought you'd never ask."

Later in the day, Rikki, Cleo, Bella, Angi and I are at Rikki's place.

"So, Sophie knows. What should we do about it?" says Angi.

I frown slightly, and then ask, "Bella, you're on social media with her, right?"

Pulling out her phone, Bella nods. "She's living Capricornia, working at some place called the Capricorn Institute of Marine Sciences."

I google the name. "It's owned by a Linda Crawford."

Cleo looks around. "Does anybody know a Linda Crawford?" We all shake our heads.

"Well, what should be do?" asks Rikki.

"We should drive there, check it out. See if there's anything suspicious going on," I conclude. All four girls agree.

At the institute, we join a tour of people learning about marine biology. Cleo rolls her eyes at the rudimentary explanations. None of us see Sophie.

"So," Bella whispers, "what's going on with Byron?"

"I've just asked him to move in."

"Finally! Em, we've all been waiting for this forever!"

I blush. "What about you and Will? How's things?"

Bella smiles. "Perfect. Mika, Percy and I went to the beach yesterday, and I don't know, but I think Mika's power is some sort of deep connection with the sea. She knew when Percy was about to get hit by a big wave and she always seems so serene and wise when we're near water."

"Really? Wouldn't that be an odd power?" I ask.

"Yeah, but she's not able to do anything else. Isla started liquefying things the minute she sprouted a tail. It's been months since Mika's first transformation, and she hasn't shown anything but this."

I nod. It does make sense- Mika's never once cried when she's changed. It's almost as if she understands her role as a mermaid. Like the ocean is guiding her.

Just then, we turn into one of the bigger offices. "This is where our highest level scientists work," the tour guide explains. I look up from my conversation with Bella and scan the room, but then duck again. Sophie is at the front desk, flipping through a magazine. She must be a receptionist.

"There's Sophie," Cleo whispers, and the five of us, having been near the back of the group anyway, slip out of sight. Once we're in a small, empty hallway, we discuss our game plan.

"Let's just watch her, see if she looks like she's sending us letters or blabbing to anyone," Rikki says. We decide that that is the best option.

Cleo, poking her head around the corner, watches Sophie. Slowly, I join her. Sophie is just sitting there. After a while, she begins to file her nails. The phone rings; she answers. She says hi to some passersby.

"Is she doing anything?" asks Angi. I shake my head.

Just then, however, we watch the tour arrive at the back of the room. "Ah," says the tour guide, "this is our esteemed chief scientist, Ms. Linda Crawford." She gestures to a woman with a blonde ponytail. When she turns, my stomach drops.

"Is that," Cleo whispers, "Denman?"

"Yes," I say back, and the other three take turns looking. Then we converge.

"So Sophie _is_ going to tell Denman our secret," says Bella.

"It doesn't make sense," I reply. "Who was sending the letters?"

"And this is our esteemed assistant chief scientist," I hear the tour guide continue. I glance towards whoever she's talking about, and then everything clicks in my mind as she introduces the skinny brunette.

It's Estelle.


	78. Chapter 78

Chapter 78- Cleo's POV

"Hi, Eavie," I say, giving the small girl a tight hug. She grins, hugs me back.

"Hi, Cleo. How have you been?"

"Great." I brush some hair out of the girl's face and then hug her again. I owe everything to Eavie. If it weren't for her…

"Hi, Cleo," I hear again, from behind me. When I turn, I nearly squeal. It's been a long time since I saw Kim. For her first month in rehab, I would drive up once a week, but she insisted that the three hour drive, gas money, and figuring out what to do with Isla weren't worth it. But, now, she stands in front of me in a nice, lilac tee shirt dress and sandals. Although her face is still devoid of makeup and her outfit is loose and simple, there is a life in her eyes and a fullness to her hair that makes me tear up. When I pull her into a hug, I smell shampoo and feel limbs, not bones.

Of course, Kim is still in rehab. But she's allowed outings once a week, since she's been doing so well with her recovery. It wasn't like that in the beginning, but something changed about four months ago… and I know that, whatever it is, I owe it to Eavie, who has visited Kim _single_ everyday. And, so, this week she came to Eavie's apartment-warming party, to which Lewis, Isla, Dad and Sam, and I were also invited. Eavie's family is coming, too. Part of me is hoping that the girls are going to make a certain announcement.

"Oh," I sigh into Kimmy's hair, "how have you been?"

"Great," Kim replies, pulling away and giving me a smile. Then she runs to Dad, throws her arms around him.

"My sweet girl," he says, hugging her so tightly I'm afraid he might snap her in two. But Kim's not as frail as she once was. After hugging Sam and Lewis, as well, she lifts Isla into the air and gives her a million kisses.

"Kimmy," my little girl giggles, "stop!"

Eavie watches with the biggest smile. After a moment, the doorbell rings again. She walks to the door and opens it. A tall white man and an Asian woman stand on the other side, both of them smiling hugely, as well. "Dad!" says Eavie, "Mom!"

The family hugs before meandering into the apartment. "Guys," says Eavie, "these are my parents! This is my dad, Jon, and my mom, Vinita." The couple gives us a wave.

"I'm Don," says Dad, stepping up and shaking both their hands. "I just want to thank you so much. I don't know how much Eavie has told you, but we owe everything to that girl."

Eavie blushes, but Jon laughs. "It's not us," he says, "she was born without a mean bone in her body. Our Eavie is the most admirable soul I've ever known." He speaks with the pride of a father.

"You must be Kim," says Vinita, turning to my sister.

"Yes," Kimmy says, sticking out one arm to shake hands, but then Vinita gives her a hug. Kim smiles. "What a beautiful girl," whispers Vinita.

After all the introductions are made, we sit down around the coffee table. "So, Jon," says Dad, "Kim tells us you're from the States. Did you fly out here just for the visit?"

"Oh, with the kids out of the house, Vinita and I have been trying to travel more. We were in Europe and on our way to Asia when we decided to stop by to see Eavie."

"That's wonderful! Do you have other kids?"

"I have an older daughter from my first marriage," explains Jon. "She actually should be here any minute…"

"You invited her?" asks Eavie, distress coloring her face.

"I did," says Vinita. "Honey, it's important for you two to be close." Eavie quiets, not wanting to cause a scene, but I can tell she's upset. I wonder what the problem is with her sister.

"So, why are we all here?" Sam asks after a while. "I assume an apartment warming isn't really why we all drove or flew hours."

"You're right," says Kimmy.

"Guys, we have some news."

"Should we wait for your sister?" asks Jon to Eavie.

The girl shakes her head, "I can tell her later. Anyway… Kim and I … are moving in together!"

I smile. "That's great, guys! When?"

"As soon as I get out," says Kim. "Eavie needs a roommate, and I need housing, so it seemed natural … especially since we're dating."

Now, I beam. Everyone stands up to hug them. "How long has this been going on?" asks Vinita.

"Almost five months," responds Eavie. I secretly congratulate myself on guessing correctly.

Just as we're all celebrating, however, the doorbell rings. Eavie separates herself to open it, and, when she does, a tall, blonde woman is there, looking at her phone. "Hey, sorry I'm late," she says, stepping inside. My blood goes cold.

Denman.

"Kim," I say, pulling her onto the bed. After asking to talk to her, we'd slipped away. "You need to get out of this."

"What?" laughs Kim.

"I'm sorry, but you have to break up with Eavie."

Now, my sister grows serious. "What?" she repeats. "Why would you even say that?"

"It's just… her sister, Linda, is dangerous," I say. How can I explain this? I feel horrible.

"Dangerous? How?"

"She just … I knew her when I was younger, and she … she's not a good person. Seriously, Kim, she is a dangerous woman, and you need to get away from her."

After Emma saw Estelle, she freaked. We all left the institute and, on the outside, Emma explained everything.

"Estelle is Ash's new girlfriend. We met a while ago- the day before the first note! I _knew_ the sender was a girl, and foreign- Estelle is French! It all makes sense!"

"But how does she know about us?" asked Rikki. "Ash must've told."

"No," Emma responded, "I know him. He wouldn't. But, maybe … we know that Sophie is the biggest blabbermouth ever. She probably needed to vent to somebody about finding out about Bella!"

"But why would Estelle believe her? And how would she know that you're involved? Sorry, Em, but I think it's a stretch."

"No, think about it! The tour guide said that Denman and Estelle have been working together for almost fifteen years! I'm sure Denman told Estelle about us, at least after a while! Knowing how obsessed she was, she probably vented about it on a daily basis! Most likely even showed her those _pictures she had!_ And, when Estelle saw me, she must've recognized me! And then, with Sophie talking about Bella, she must've put the pieces together that we all still have our powers!"

"But I wasn't even in those pictures," argues Bella.

"But a mermaid on the Gold Coast? Also, I'm sure Ash has mentioned you guys! Estelle must've known that if Sophie ever blabbed to Denman, she would realize that we still have our powers and come after us again!"

Although a bit of a crazy theory, it's the only thing that makes sense. We decided not act on it for now, but, in this moment, with Denman in the other room, I'm panicking.

"Kim, Denman- Linda- is bad news. She almost got me taken away when I was fifteen, and Emma and Rikki, too!"

"What?" exclaims Kim, standing, "What does that even mean, 'taken away'? Why?"

"I can't explain!" I say, trying to find a reasonable way to discuss this. "But I don't know how much Eavie knows, or if she's like that or-"

"Eavie would _never_ hurt you. You know that. I would have _died_ if it wasn't for her! And you can't make me leave her- I won't."

Putting my head in my hands, I say, "I know. But, Kim, Denman is crazy. And, if everything is true, she's probably out for me again!"

"Why?" Kim asks, throwing her hands in the air. "You always have this crazy drama- like when Will and Zane disappeared and why Lewis lied about your water allergy in the hospital- the doctor asked Dad, he went along with it just in case- and how you make these enemies like a cartoon character! But _why?"_

I stare at my sister. And I decide that it's time.

"Kim," I say, "sit down." She cautiously does as I say. "There is something I need to tell you."

"I'm mermaid."


	79. Chapter 79

Kim's POV

" _Kim," said Cleo, "sit down." I cautiously did as I said. "There is something I need to tell you."_

" _I'm mermaid."_

" _What?" I said, knitting my brows. "That's stupid."_

 _Cleo closed her eyes and looked down. "Kim… do you remember when you found that journal of mine that was all about the mermaids, and you were convinced, for the longest time, that it was about me? Well … it was. Rikki, Emma, Bella and I are mermaids."_

 _I couldn't figure out why she was … lying? Or joking? But all that really mattered was that she'd just asked me to leave Eavie._

" _Cleo, I don't know what sort of game you're playing," I began, "but even if you were a unicorn, I wouldn't leave Eavie. And, besides, if you're a mermaid, where's your tail?"_

 _Cleo sighed. Walking into the bathroom, she sat me down on the toilet. "Don't … freak out," she warned me. I rolled my eyes and assured her that I wouldn't._

 _With that, Cleo turned on the sink. Cold water streamed out and she silently stuck one finger into the flow. And then began to count down from ten._

" _Nine, eight, seven…" She sat down on the floor and layed back._

" _What are you doing?" I asked._

" _Four, three, two…_

" _One."_

 _With that, Cleo … disappeared? But then, instantly, she was back again… but she had a long, golden tail._

" _Holy fucking shit!" I exclaimed, jumping off of the toilet and away from her. Cleo grabbed a hand towel and dried her finger. Her legs came back quickly._

" _What the fuck just happened?" I asked, pushing my hair off of my forehead. I'm shaking._

" _I told you Kimmy. I'm a mermaid. When I touch water, I grow a tail."_

" _That doesn't just_ happen, _Cleo! Jesus, you say it like it's normal!"_

 _Smiling a little sadly, Cleo told me, "It is. At least for us. There are a lot of things I need to explain…"_

Needless to say, it took us hours to finish the conversation. Dad checked on us once or twice, and we went out and mingled multiple times in order to avoid suspicion, but … the things she told me were _insane._

And then Linda. Or Dr. Denman, as Cleo calls her. And what _she_ did.

" _Eavie is_ not _like that. She would never do anything like that. She doesn't even LIKE her sister!" I told Cleo._

" _We can't know that for sure!" she argued._

" _I DO!"_

This went on for a long time. Eventually, she came to the realization that, no matter what she said, I wouldn't leave Eavie.

And I meant it. Who cares what psycho mermaid drama went down between Eavie's much older half-sister and Cleo almost ten years ago? I mean, Cleo did say that something might happen again, and soon … something about Will's sister… but, even if it does, who cares? Eavie is not Linda. Eavie is smart, and funny, and interesting. She wouldn't hurt a fly.

Speaking of Eavie, I'm actually going to her apartment right now … or, actually, our apartment.

Today, I get to leave. Tim and Deena got the most tearful goodbyes, even though I'll be back at the clinic every other day for therapy and a weigh-in. Unfortunately, Tim stopped getting better a few weeks ago … besides the anorexia, he has a lot of other addictions, and somebody snuck crack to him while he was on a town day. Being on drugs always makes the "voices" worse, and …

It was a bad time.

But, despite that, I'm elated. I'm going home.

When I pull up to the building, I see that Eavie's jeep isn't there. She has class all day today and couldn't have picked me up until seven in the evening, so I took a cab. He- our- apartment is number 106. I thank and pay the cabbie before grabbing my bags and heading up.

Of course the house is familiar- I've been there plenty of times. The sunflower yellow rug, the pretty red couch and loveseat, the TV. There are a million plants everywhere and a photo of us on the fridge. Everything is so organised.

And, yet, it still feels new. Like it's _ours_ for the first time. I put my bags in our room and begin to unpack. Opening the dresser, I find that Eavie has cleared out the three bottom drawers and left a note saying "For You 3." This makes me smile. Eventually, I meander into the kitchen and make lunch. Finally, when it's nearing six thirty, I hear the front door unlock.

"Honey," Eavie calls, "I'm home!" I look over from the couch and smirk.

"You're such a dork."

Squealing, Eavie runs to me and jumps onto me. "YOU'RE HOME!" she shouts, kissing every part of my body before finally meeting my lips. After a second she pulls away and rests her forehead on mine.

"Yeah," I tell her, "I'm home."


	80. Chapter 80

**Hey guys!**

 **So I haven't been getting a lot of reviews lately ... I've consistently gotten at least 5 per chapter until now, but the last two chapters didn't get any and the one before that only got 2. If you want me to continue this story, PLEASE reviews!**

 **Thanks loves!**

 **DA**

Chapter 80- Bella's POV

I wake up quietly this morning, which is unusual. On a normal day, Mika would be crying, Percy would be pining for my attention, or both. Not that Will doesn't help, but you can't very well sleep through that.

Standing, I stretch and take a listen. I can hear Percy's voice babbling on about something, and then Will's laugh. Smiling, I walk out into our living room in only a big sweatshirt and a pair of running shorts. Will is making waffles with our brand-new waffle maker and telling Percy a story about the time he saw an octopus while diving. Mika is on his hip. "Now, I know you think sharks are dangerous, but octopuses can be a lot worse. It was terrifying, I stopped perfectly still and tried so hard not to let him notice me."

"What happened?" asks Percy excitedly.

"Yeah," I add, leaning against the doorframe, "what happened?"

Percy whips around and fumbles out of his chair, exclaiming "Mama!" with glee. He runs to my legs and I scoop him up, giving my little man a huge hug. "Good morning, my love!" I say. "You let me sleep this morning!"

"Yes, he did," Will says, coming over and giving me a kiss. I put Percy down and return the gesture, and then take Mika. "Percy woke me up this morning but you slept through it so I got everyone," my boyfriend explains.

"Thank you, sweetie," I say, giving him another kiss. Mika squeals and kicks her feet. "Yeah?" I ask. "You like that, baby?" I scrunch my nose and burrow it in her pudgy belly, bringing out even more laughter.

"Me!" Percy begs, tugging on my leg. I hand Mika back to Will and grab Percy from under the arms, bringing him up fast and giving him a raspberry. Will rolls his eyes and smiles.

"Sit down," he says, "I'll get you some waffles." Percy is already happily munching away on one of his, and Will situates Mika in her booster and gives her a plate of cut-up waffle pieces.

Setting one down in front of me and himself, Will turns off the maker and gets out syrup. The four of us eat breakfast quietly. Eventually, Will picks up his octopus story and Percy and I, at least, are very entertained.

"So," I say while we do the dishes, "how are you."

"I'm good," Will responds. He comes up behind me and snakes his arms around my waist, trailing kisses on my neck. "How are you?"

Biting my lower lip with a smile, I turn around and meet his lips. "I'm great," I reply as we pull away.

"Do we have any plans today?"

"No, I don't think so," I say. "We should go shopping for Percy's party."

Percy is turning two years old in a week, which is crazy. I don't even know how it's possible, but it's true.

"Yeah," Will agrees.

Just then, the phone rings. Will grabs it. "Hello?" he says. "Oh, hey Em. One sec."

I wipe my hands on our dish towel and take the phone from him. "Hi, Em. What's going on?" I ask.

"Come down. Now." She hangs up that quickly and I immediately get nervous.

"I- I've gotta go see what's up with Emma," I tell Will. "Can you watch the kids?"

My boyfriend nods. "Sure," he says, "is everything okay?"

"I don't know."

A few minutes later, I'm knocking on Emma's door. She seems to be alone, but then I notice Rikki and Angi on the couch. "Is Byron home?" I ask.

Emma shakes her head. "Cleo should be here, soon, though."

"Okay. So what's up?"

"I got this note," she says, handing it to me. I read it and my blood goes cold.

It is too late. Run.

"Is this Estelle?" I ask. Emma shrugs.

"If we're right, then yes. And she must mean that Sophie told Denman."

Just then, Cleo walks in. We get her up to speed. "What should we do?" she asks.

"Well, the note is pretty clear," Rikki says. "We have to run."

But, just then, Emma stands. "No," she says. "I'm tired of running."

"What do you suggest then?"

"Where is the first place that Denman'll look for us?" asks Em.

Cleo scrunches her brows. "Mako?" she asks.

Nodding, Emma grabs her keys. "What are you doing?" I ask.

"Going. We've got to meet her there."


	81. Chapter 81

**Hey guys! Sorry I haven't updated in forever, but I finished my manuscript for my book, so now I'll have more time for this.**

 **One reviewer said I should quit while I'm ahead, which would be fine. It's up to you if you want a part 2. Tell me in the reviews!**

 **DA**

Chapter 81- Rikki's POV

Swimming to Mako fills me with an uncertain dread. I know that I want everything to be okay, but I don't know if this is the best way to do it. Shouldn't we just wait, wait and see if we're even right?

But what if we do wait, and then, one night, when we're asleep, Denman comes? What if she takes the boys again, or Isla, Mika, or Percy? What if she kills somebody?

I guess we really don't have a better option than this. Still, I feel so confused.

Eventually, we get to the entrance to Mako and swim through. We break the surface to find a blonde woman setting a camera up, and she jumps around.

It's Denman.

"Oh!" she exclaims, eyes wide. Denman looks back and forth between the camera and the moonpool, where Emma, Cleo, Angi, Bella and I tread. "Oh, oh!" She looks into the lense and points at us, a maniac grin spreading across her face. "I got you! I finally got you!"

We all stare at her. Of course she thinks we were completely unaware of her plan.

"You must be pretty surprised to see me, right? You must've thought I was gone for good! But you were wrong- you were all wrong!"

"No," Emma says, pulling herself onto the shore. We all follow suit. "You're wrong."

Smile faltering, Denman stares at us. "What- what do you mean?"

"We aren't surprised to see you. The only thing I don't know is what Sophie said exactly," Cleo explains. "She only knew about Bella, but she must have mentioned us, right? Or, maybe, you just figured any mermaid was better than none."

Denman stares at us. "What?" she says. "How do you know Sophie told me? How do you- what?"

"We had an anonymous tip," I admit with a smirk, drying them all off. After a moment, we stand.

"Who? Oh, nevermind. It doesn't matter, because I've got you. On tape! I've won!"

"No," Emma says, "you haven't." She whips an icicle out of the water and sends it flying towards the camera, but it doesn't make it.

It's almost as if time slows down. I see Denman reach into her coat, I see the gun shine black and metallic, I see her aim it at Emma. And then, I swear I see the burst of fire and the bullet go hurtling across the cave. The icicle shatters as Emma is blown back by the force and hits the ground. And then there is silence, at least in my mind, save for an incredible ringing. I see Cleo and Bella flock to Emma's side, see both of them crying, their mouths moving, but hear nothing. Angi sends a blot of plasma flying at Denman, who seems shocked by her own actions and collapses in spasms from the electricity. Emma is staring at the ceiling, sweat pooling on her forehead. Blood stains my shoes.

"Rikki … Rikki … RIKKI!" Suddenly, I snap back into focus to hear Cleo screaming my name from where she's kneeled next to Emma. I look at her with wide eyes and then turn away and throw up.

"Where's Eliot?" mutters Emma. I can hardly hear her.

"What should we do?" Cleo sobs. "Somebody- somebody call 000!"

"No service," Bella breathes, eyes wide. "We gotta … get her to land."

"NO!" I hear from behind me. We turn slowly to see Denman pointing the gun at us again, face still twitching. "No. I have worked too hard, for too long. I'm not going to let you get away. Not this time."

"SHE'S GOING TO DIE!" Cleo screams, face red and wet and terrified. The bullet hit Emma's ribcage, just below her heart.

"Better a dead mermaid," Denman says, unsteady on her feet, "than none at all. Now, come here. I don't hurt any more of you."

Slowly, Bella stands. She walks quietly towards Denman, tears streaming down her face.

"Bella," Cleo sobs. "Bella, please!"

"I'm sorry," my friend says. "I can't let them grow up without a mother."

At this, Angi follows. Finally, Cleo kisses Emma's forehead. "I'm so sorry," she whispers, and then she goes to Denman, leaving only me.

"I'll get your friend help," Denman promises. "Just come with me."  
"You're going to go to jail," I say.

"What?"

"How do you expect this to go?" I ask, anger starting to boil. "You think you can shoot her and get away with it?"

"No," Denman says, "I just think you won't tell anybody."

"Or what? You'll expose us?" I scream. "GO AHEAD! I'D RATHER BE DISSECTED THAN HAVE YOU ON THE STREETS!"

Denman shakes her head. "I was thinking that I'll expose you, and Emma, and none of you will tell."

"Just us two?" I ask. "Why?"

"Because then I'll finally get the recognition I deserve, but your friends here will be safe. And you won't tattle, or else you'll all be exposed."

"We won't agree to that," Bella says, stepping forward. "You think we're that petty?!"

"No, not for yourselves," Denman says. "But you three are mothers. You think your little girls won't be tested? You want to subject them to life as a freak?"

Paling, Bella looks between me and Denman. "I-I," she chokes. Cleo buries her face in her hands.

"Guys," I say, "you have to."

And, with that, I walk to Denman's side.

Walking with her gun shoved between Bella's shoulder blades, Denman forces us across the forest to her boat. First, we'd been made to climb out of the cave with a rope she'd brought, dragging Emma behind us. There was so much blood. She'd fading. Now, I carry her legs and Cleo, her arms. Angi is fronting the pack.

"Faster," Denman orders, the camera tucked safely in her pocket. And, then, she continues. "You know, when Sophie mentioned her sister-in-law's unusual secret, I wasn't very interested. Sophie was a talkative girl. She'd say anything to fill a conversation. But, one night, after a bunch of us from work went out for drinks, she got wasted and pulled Estelle, my assistant, aside and spilled some long story. I asked about it the next day, but I could tell Estelle was lying when she told me about some cheating scandal. She's French, you see, and, when she lies, her English gets much worse. But I didn't bother to ask about it, until, one day, Sophie was talking about Bella again, and she mentioned her very interesting friends, Emma, Cleo, and Rikki.

"I decided to get closer to her. Finally, I got her drunk enough, again, to spill Bella's little secret to me. I was elated, of course, but I was also disappointed in Estelle. See, I thought the two of were very good friends, and she knows I've been looking for you for years. So why wouldn't she tell me? I had to deal with her.

"Oh, Cleo, you look so worried. I didn't kill her. I just made sure that, since she was so intent on being quiet around me, she'll be quiet around everyone. Now, seriously, did she tip you off? You can be honest."

We are all silent, until she jams the further unto Bella's back and says, "I asked you a question."

"Yes!" Cleo exclaims. "Yes, it was Estelle."

"I knew it, that fucking bitch," Denman spits. "Whatever, though," she adds, "she won't be squealing again anytime soon."

I shudder. We eventually make it to shore.

"Get in," Denman orders, gesturing to the boat that's on the sand. I try to think of anyway to avoid this, anyway to survive this, but Emma is so heavy in my arms. She can't die. She can't.

"NO!"

I spin around. That's Zane's voice.

Standing on the shore about fifty feet away are Zane, Lewis, Will, Byron, and… is that Kim? And who is that behind her?

"WILL, GO!" Bella screams as Denman removes the gun from her back and points it at them. "THEY CAN'T LOSE BOTH OF US!"

We'd left the boys a note, begging them not to come. "We'll deal with it," we said. Now, though, I thank God that they're here.

Upon seeing the gun, all six of them stop in their tracks. They finally notice Emma and Byron blanches.

"Lin, you don't have to do this," the Asian girl next to Kim says, coming forward. I put the pieces together … this must be the Eavie that Cleo told us about, Denman's half sister. "Please. You can stop this, right now."

"Shut up," Denman spits. I wonder why Kim is even here. She should be at Uni.

"Please," Eavie says again. I make eye contact with Zane and he mouths at me, hold on.

"Like you ever even cared about me! You didn't even like me. You turned my own father against me, you and your horrible mother," says Denman to Eavie now.

"I always wanted us to get along!" Eavie argues. "I really tried… and we could make that happen, but not if you do this."

"Is that what you think I want? To be friends with you? I don't care about you!"

"Please, Lin," Eavie says. I realize that Zane has been creeping closer and closer to Denman. "Do you really wanna be a murderer?"

At that moment, Will shouts and fakes a run towards Denman, and then immediately drops to the ground. She fires the gun towards him anyway, but he's already safe, and, then, Zane is throwing himself against her, tackling her to the ground. The gun flies out of her hand, right to Eavie's feet, who picks it up shakely.

Zane is on top of Denman, punching her in the face, but then I see something that makes my heart sink. There is a gleam of metal in her coat and she's reaching for it. Denman has a second gun.

"NO!" I scream as the sound of the shot rips through me and Zane falls off of Denman with a thud.

But then he stands. And he runs to me and holds me and is crying and shaking and the other boys are sprinting over and Denman… Denman is dead.

Standing about ten feet away, Eavie drops the gun.


	82. Chapter 82

Chapter 82- Cleo's POV

Staring at the scene in front of me, I try to take deep breaths, but I'm trembling. Lewis is coming to me, and, then, he'd hugging me tightly, but I can't feel him. The insides of my bones are dissolving and my blood has stopped flowing right and I'm filled with soil and salt and nothing else. It's too heavy in my head.

"Cleo, it's okay. You're okay."

I'm staring across the beach, where Eavie has sat down and put her head in her lap. She's about ten feet away from the corpse of half-sister. Kim, coming behind her, sits beside the girl and strokes her hair, tears streaming down her face, assuring her it's all going to be alright.

"We gotta … we gotta get to the hospital," I finally manage to whisper, but my ribcage is beating too fast and each bone is liquid barely held together … "Emma-" I can't choke out the words. My tongue sits as fat and useless as a dead fish.

"I know, I know, we will," breathes Lewis. "We're getting her on the boat now."

I turn my head to confirm this, and then I see Bella and Will and Byron kneeling over her, and Byron is as red as the sunset behind him and slick with blood, and no part of me can breathe and so I let myself go for a while because the pounding in my ears is too much and the sand looks so comfortable.

 _Cleo, wake up, sweetheart._

 _Cleo, we need you._

 _Cleo …_

When I first jolt awake, I feel a deep panic but don't know why. I'm in bed, at home, but Lewis isn't there. I check the clock. It's only nine thirty.

And then I remember all at once, and it feels like the wind's been knocked out of me.

"LEWIS!" I scream, flying out of bed and into the living room. I'm in a pair of gym shorts and a loose tank top. Lewis must have changed me.

 _At hospital. Call when awake,_ reads the note on the counter. Immediately, I take out my phone and fumble to his contact.

After one ring, he picks up. "Lewis?" I ask. "Is she okay?"

"She's … it's not looking good."

I bite my lower lip and squeeze shut my eyes. "What hospital?" I choke out.

He gives me the address and I speed over in our car. Isla is at my parent's.

"I'm here for Emma Gilbert," I tell the receptionist as soon as I arrive. She tells me what wing Emma's in and I sprint there to find Lewis, Rikki, Zane, Bella, Will, Angi, and Byron sitting in the waiting room. There faces are dark and grim. Bella, Will and Byron are still covered in dried blood.

I stare at all of them for a second and then shake my head. "What's going on?"

"She's in surgery. Pieces of the bullet are still in her, and … there was so much blood, Cleo," Rikki says, pushing back her hair. I rub my arms and curl up in a chair next to Lewis.

"Where's Kim?" I ask after a moment.

"She and Eavie came by to visit when I got the note… Kim had told Eavie about you, and about what Denman did, and, so, when they heard that you were going and we were following, they insisted they come. But then… well, you saw what happened. Eavie tried to insist they'd stay here, but all of us, including Kim, were urging her to go home. She kept trying to say she was fine until, suddenly, she just broke down. Kim took her out."

"She did just kill her sister," I say.

Lewis nods. "How about you? Are you okay?"

The thought of Emma makes my fingers feel raw and cold so I just close my eyes and nod. "I have to be."

I fade in and out of sleep, Lewis's warm arm around me, as the hours go by. At one point, I wake up in tears from a nightmare, but, by this point, it's four or five in the morning and everything is dark and quiet, so my husband just whispers to me that it was only a dream and kisses the side of my head. Later, after the sun has risen, Will leaves and comes back with Mika and Percy, who'd been with the sitter all night. Mika, almost a year old, dozes on Bella's lap while Percy sits and entertains himself, occasionally engaging one of us in a conversation. By the time it reaches evening again, Kim's made her way back to us. "Eavie's with her parents," she says. "We called the police, explained everything. There's still gonna be an investigation, though."

"What did you say?" asks Zane.

"We said that we were all there for an evening picnic when Denman showed up looking for Eavie. We said they always had conflict and Denman was unstable, so she went looking for Eavie after snapping one night. She went to our place and saw on our calendar that we'd written our visitation and picnic plans. I went and wrote that this evening. So she came to Mako with the intention of killing Eavie, Emma got in the way and took a bullet, Zane attacked her, she dropped the gun but had a spare, almost shot Zane, Eavie shot her. The end is all true." She shakes her head. "I didn't know what else to say."

"You did great," Lewis says, standing and approaching her. When my husband wraps his arms around my little sister and she shuts her eyes and sighs, I smile. Although a disgustingly hard year, with the Denman stress, Bella's pregnancy, and Kim being so sick… at least my family's come back together. Lewis and I are stronger than ever.

"So what now?" asks Rikki.

"We wait," Angi responds, face dark. "That's all we can do."

The days drift on. We get small updates, eventually drift home for the evenings. Will and Bella take turns staying at the house with the kids. Lewis and I take Isla for the nights, my parents watch her in the days. Kim goes back to school. I lose track of my life and begin to live through Emma; when we get the news that she's stable, I smile as I put Isla down and tell her stories; when the doctors tell us that it looks like she'll be in the hospital for a long while longer, I stop feeling Lewis's touch and feel only fuzzy nothing.

Her levels drop to coma. By that point, we've all stopped staying in the hospital all day. We visit, but we have to get back to our lives. Percy turns two and we celebrate but it feels strained. Byron is the only one who never leaves the hospital, besides to sleep.

The world keeps spinning, and we spin with it, but all of us are struggling to walk through water, never just strolling along, and that water is stained red.

"Lewis!" I exclaim, waking up confused. Then I realize that the phone is ringing and grab it. "Hello?"

"What is it?" my husband asks, turning to face me. I mouth _hospital_ at him. And then I nearly collapse.

"Thank you!" I blubber into the phone. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"What?" Lewis asks immediately after I've hung up.

"She's awake," I sob, getting out of bed and hurriedly getting dressed. "She's awake!"


	83. Chapter 83

**Hi guys! I'm so glad for all the positive feedback lately! One thing in particular had kept coming up, though, and that's the length of my chapters.**

 **Contrary to what a recent reviewer wrote, my chapters are not getting any shorter. The first chapter ever was only 410 words. Until chapter 13, not a single chapter broke 1000 words. Until chapter 27, the average length of a chapter was only about 900 words. From chapters 28-51, the average was only about 1,400 words. Now, from 51 to this chapter, 83, the average has been about 1,600 words. So my chapters have actually been getting progressively longer.**

 **Anyway, thank you guys for all the kind words! Love you!**

 **DA**

 **P.S, this chapter is ahead by six months, and this is the last of Part 1!**

Chapter 83- CHANGING POVs

Emma's POV

 _"This is how it ends," Denman sneers, trailing her fingers along my jaw. I can't breathe. "This is how is all ends, Emma."_

 _"Ems."_

 _"Em_ ma!" I jerk up in bed. Byron is propped on one elbow and puts his hand on my shoulder. "It's okay," he says. "It's okay. You're here now."

Laying back on my pillow, I try to catch my breath. "You're here."

Rolling onto my side, I burrow into him. _I'm here. I'm here._

When I wake up the next morning, Byron is out. I check the clock. His shift started ten minutes ago.

Standing, I stretch and look in the mirror. My hair needs to be washed, but I'm very tan.

My scar is healing.

Just then, my phone rings. "Hey, Rik," I say as I pick up.

"Hi. Can you come down? Bella's here, and I'm calling Cleo."

"Why?" I ask, my pulse speeding up. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Rikki assures me, her voice taking on a soothing tone. "I just have news."

In a few seconds, I'm down at Rikki's. Zane is at work and Bella is sitting on the couch, her blonde hair pretty and wavy. "Hi, guys," I greet them. I get myself a glass of water from the kitchen (no need to ask with Rikki) and then sit next to Bella. Cleo arrives ten minutes later, in the middle of a conversation about which type of cheese is the best.

"Hi guys!" she says. "Sorry I'm late, Isla was being a handful."

Rikki's POV

"No worries," I say, gesturing to the couch in front of me. Cleo smiles and sits beside Emma and Bella. "Anyway, now that you're all here, there was something I wanted to say."

Bella smiles at me, biting her lower lip. I have a feeling she knows what I'm about to say. "As you guys know, Zane and I applied for adoption a little over five months ago."

Bringing one hand to her mouth, Cleo tries to hide her smile. Emma doesn't bother.

"Our application got accepted. We're having a baby!" My heart swells just saying the words.

"Ohh!" Cleo exclaims, standing and tackling me in a hug. "I'm so happy for you, Rikki! And I'm so proud."

I laugh and try to blink away the tears that have risen. Bella and Emma give me equally bone-crushing hugs and they all shower me with compliments and well-wishings. "Do you know who they are?" Bella asks after we've all settled down.

"Yes," I say, taking out my phone. "It's going to be a girl. The mother is four months pregnant. The baby will be here in April."

"Rikki," Emma sighs, "That's so wonderful."

I nod. "She's Pakistani. We've decided that we're going to call her Seana." See-anna.

Cleo shakes her head and sniffs, wiping at her tears. She's crying the most out of us all, of course. "That's a beautiful name, Rikki."

"Thank you," I respond.

"Mika will be a year and a half older than her," Bella says. "Percy, three years."

"Isla will be three and a half," Cleo adds. "They'll all be friends."

I nod and tell them, "Yeah. They will. Our babies."

"Bella," says Emma, "has Mika shown any more power lately?"

"No," Bella responds. "I still think she's just connected to the ocean."

"Oh!" exclaims Cleo. "Rikki, are you going to turn Seana?"

I smile. "We haven't decided, but we're discussing it."

Finally, all four of us sit in silence. I smile at them. "I love you guys," I say.

Bella's POV- the next day

"They're naming her Seana," I tell Will, my hand locked in his as we stroll down the sandy beach.

"That's a lovely name. Like the sea," my boyfriend responds. I nod, leaning against him. With the kids at Cleo's, we decided to take a date night. It turn out not to be too fancy, but that's no problem. Any time I spend with Will is beautiful.

"I love you, Bells," he says softly, kissing the side of my head. I smile and turn to him.

"I love you, too."

While we're kissing, faces close, bodies connected, I feel Will begin to move down. At first, I'm confused. Here? On the beach?

But then he's pulling away and perching on one knee with a small box in his hands.

I stare at him, open mouthed.

"Bella," he says, "when we met, I had never had a girlfriends before. I know you had never had a boyfriend. Both of were searching for that one special person. Both of our souls knew that there was somebody out there who was perfect. And, in looking for that perfect person, we found each other. And I know we've always said that marriage is just a piece of paper and that it doesn't really matter, but you know what? Who cares? I know it doesn't matter, but I want that piece of paper, just the same way I want to spend my whole life with you. And, so, I was wondering if you, Bella, my one true love, would make me the happiest man in this world and be my wife."

Looking up at me with the most terrified and hopeful expression I've ever seen, Will opens the ring box and reveals an engagement ring. In the center is … blue crystal.

"Oh," I say, bringing my hands to my mouth. "Will… it's beautiful."

He laughs. "I thought you might like it. So? What do you say?"

I smile at him. "Yes. Yes, of course."

Smiling hugely, Will slips the ring on my finger.

Lewis's POV

Pulling back my chair, I sit down across from my Cleo and smile. She is so beautiful. I can't believe we've been married for almost four years, although, at times, it seems crazy that it's been only that long. We've been apart of each other's lives forever. I can't imagine it any other way. Tonight she's glowing, happier than I've seen her in a long time.

Bella and Will just took the kids home. They seemed incredibly happy, too. I wonder if something's in the air. Isla is in bed; having Mika and Percy over wore her out so we just gave her a quick dinner and put her down.

Like I said, Cleo looks ecstatic right now. "What's up?" I ask, smiling.

"Lewis …" Cleo begins, looking right at me. This pleases me, as I love looking at her beautiful hazel eyes. "If a Isla said she wanted to have a little brother or sister, how would you respond?"

Well, this must mean something. A warm feeling spreads in my chest as I say, "Of course I'd say I want her to have one, too."

Cleo smiles. "Good," she says, taking my hand. "You're going to make a great father of two one day."

I nod, grinning, and squeeze her hand.

"And that day is August 12th," she says, and, by this point, we're both in tears. I stand and walk to her side of the table. Kneeling by her side, I press my hands to her stomach.

"What are you saying?" I ask, wanting to hear the words.

"That's my due date," she continues, laughing a little through her tears. "I'm pregnant."


	84. NOT A CHAPTER

**Skip 10 years-**

 **Hey everyone! So the first half of this story is finally done! I hope you all liked it! Now we're going into the second half. It's going to skip ahead 13 years, so that Isla and Percy are 16 and Mica is 15. There are new characters and old characters:**

 **Byron and Emma are still dating.**

 **Cleo and Lewis are still married with Isla and two more kids, both boys. Flynn, the middle child, is 13, and Reese, the baby, is only 4 and has down's syndrome.**

 **Bella and Will are married, with Mica and Percy.**

 **Rikki and Zane are still married with two kids, both girls and both adopted. Seana is 13, Veda is 5.**

 **Kim and Eavie are married with twins, Juna and John, who are both 16.**

 **Mica, Isla, and Seana are mermaids. Rikki and Zane let Seana decide if she wanted to go through the change when she was 10, and they're going to do the same when Veda is 10.**

 **Percy is best friends with a boy named Holden and Isla is best friends with Juna, and all four of them are really close, with John, too. Seana and Mica are best friends, and Seana and Flynn are really close, but Mica doesn't like Flynn that much. She hangs out with Percy's friends more than kids her own age, but they all like her anyway. Seana and Flynn are eighth graders, Mica is in ninth grade, Percy, Isla, John, Juna, and Holden are in tenth grade. Veda and Reese are friends mostly by circumstance, they're both in kindergarten.**

 **The POVs will go Mica, Isla, Juna, Percy, Seana, with the occasional adult put in there, too, or sometimes Flynn or John. I really hope you guys like this part of the story just as much as you liked part one, and thank everyone so so much for the amazing support I've had thus far! If you want to know what all that characters look like, here is directions to a doc I created with everyone's face. P.S, Zane DOES NOT smoke, it was just the best picture I could find. P.P.S, sorry the Byron picture is such crap, the actor doesn't have a lot out there.**

 **Type in http, then a colon, then two slashes, then type docs, then a period, then google, then a period, then com. Then type another slash and write document, then slash, the lowercase d, then slash, and then type 1nEljNCpyTQXAxdlOs4uPA3gokDwvlESc4fNk-YTzJC0, then another slash, then type the word edit, then a question mark, then type usp, then an equal sign and the word sharing. That will get you there! (Sorry, still can't insert links correctly!) No spaces and only caps where I specified.**

 **DA**


	85. Chapter 84- PART TWO

Chapter 84- ISLA'S POV

"Smile, Isla!" one of the gross boys from the football team shouts at me as I unlock my locker. I roll my eyes and try to will the red away from my cheeks. "Come on, baby, don't be a bitch!"

"Fuck off, assholes," I hear from behind me, the pretty, feminine voice familiar. Juna comes up next to me and leans her back against my neighboring locker. The jocks say something else but they're muttering now, since everybody's pretty scared of Juna.

"Thanks," I say to her, grabbing my books.

"Don't thank me. They're fucking idiots," responds my best friend. Oh, and my cousin. But, honestly, that bond is less important.

"Well, still thanks," I say. "Where are you going?"

"Chemistry," she tells me. "You?"

"English." Across from us, Syd Kraenzlin and Kyle Maquat have started making out. I try not to look at them as we walk down the hall. Juna runs one hand through her curly hair and asks, "So why do you put up with those boys, anyway?"

"I've told you a million times," I reply. "I want to say something, but then… it's like my throat tightens up. I can't speak. I can hardly breathe."

"I just worry about it," says Juna. "They never lay off."

"I'm fine," I tell her automatically. I'm always fine.

"Mmm. Whatever. Here's my class- I'll see you in lunch, right?"

"Yeah. Bye." Juna disappears into a doorway, leaving me alone.

Pushing some blonde hair behind my ears, I decide to stop at the bathroom before class. In the mirror, I see bones sticking out in all the wrong places, the faint padding of an A-cup bra under a tight black tee-shirt, jeans, a belt looped through the last notch. Makeupless face, pale bags under hazel eyes, freckles. My long hair is down and smooth, my best feature. I think of what the football players said and smile at my reflection. My teeth are small and yellow. I close my mouth again and set it in it's usual pout. I brush back my dark eyebrows and head to English, not overly concerned when I walk in a minute or two after the bell.

"Miss McCartney, this is your fifth tardy this term," my teacher, Mr. Jacobson, tells me. He's balding.

"Sorry, sir," I respond quietly, sitting at my same old desk.

"I'm going to have to write you up. Please see me after class."

My eyelids are heavy as I frown. My mom's gonna lose it, but, for now, I'm mainly focused on staying awake.

Suddenly, a note lands on my desk. _Can I be the reason you're late to class next time?_ It reads. On the other side, _let's hook up._

I glance as Taylor Murray from across the room and shake my head softly before crumpling the note into a ball and stuffing it into my bookbag.

"Hey, love," Percy says to me as soon as I walk out of English, looping his arms around my shoulders. Half the school thinks we're dating but he's really just this way with everyone he cares about.

"Hi," I say back, pleased that lunch is about to start.

"How's your day been?"

"Okay. Could've been better."

"Sucks. But it _is_ meatloaf today, so that should brighten things."

Just then, Flynn, my little brother walks by. He's in year eight, while I'm in year ten. "Hi," I say, but I get only a glare in return. He's with his cool friends. Can't have dorky older sister mucking it up.

At our table in the lunchroom sits Juna and her brother, my other cousin, John, and our friend Holden. At the table next to us are Mika, Percy's sister, Seana, a family friend and some other year nines.

"Hi, guys," Percy says, plunking down next to Holden. The Asian boy looks about as tired as I feel. John and Juna are arguing about something. I want to put my head down.

"Isla, do you think Olivia is hooking up with George?" Juna suddenly snaps at me from across the table.

I try to get out of my stupor as I respond, "Oh, um, I don't know. Why?"

"John doesn't believe me."

"Oh. I'm not sure. Maybe."

"Come on, Isla, can't you smell when somebody's been fucking?" asks Holden sarcastically, but I tense.

"Hmm, with all of my experience?" I joke. "No."

"What experience, kid?" says Percy. I blush.

"Nothing. I was kidding."

"Oh, come on, Isla. You've probably gotten more action than any of us," mocks John, but I know he's serious. The guys don't really understand.

"Hey, shut up, will you?" says Juna. At that moment, Davey Devos comes up behind my and puts one hand on my back.

"Are you coming to the party on Saturday?" he asks, breath warm in my ear. My eyes lose focus as I tell him no. "Shame," he responds, trailing his hand down lower and lower. I close my eyes completely until he walks away. When I look around again, all is quiet.

"I could beat him up for you," Percy offers, attempting to lighten the mood. I smile at him half-heartedly.

At home that evening, I sit in my bedroom, trying to finish my homework. When I hear Mom's fragile footsteps approach, I prepare myself for the worst. "Isla," she says, "what's all this about five tardies?"

"Hi, mom," I respond.

"Funny."

"I know. And, anyway, I've been… getting caught I lost track of time in the bathroom, last week a teacher stopped to talk to me…"

"Mr. Jacobson says you have a C in his class."

"I'm not good at English." My mom's brown hair is pulled back and she's wearing a fashionable blue dress. I wish I looked like her.

"Does that explain your B- in math or your C+ in history?"

I sigh. "Can we talk about this later?"

"No. I'm not talking anymore, Isla. This has been going on for far too long. It's up to you to figure it out."

When she leaves, I stand up and walk to my bed. I just need to sleep for a while.


	86. Chapter 85

Chapter 85- MIKA'S POV

When I wake up in the morning, I'm incredibly pleased to remember that it is a Saturday. My bedroom, with it's cool green walls and white furniture, is glowing with early-morning sunlight. "Hmm," I sigh, stretching amongst my pillows and blankets before sitting up and swinging my legs over the side of the bed.

Padding out of my room, I make my way down to the kitchen and grab a banana. Everyone else is asleep, as usual, and so I hop up on the counter and eat my breakfast with my head against the wall. Outside, the wind rustles through palms and I smile to myself. After a while, I get dressed in a blue sundress and leave a note for Mom and Dad that I'm out for a walk.

With my hair pulled in a loose bun, I walk down the quiet roads of our city until I get to the beach, phone and chapstick in hand. I sit down on the cool sand and shut my eyes, listening to the waves break calmly. Deep inside me, something stirs with the jellyfish and the dolphins and, as I breathe in the salty air, I feel myself drawn towards the sea with each push and pull of her waves. I wonder if Isla or Seana is swimming around and so I feel for their energies. Isla is off my radar but I get a hint that Seana is at Mako and, standing, wade into the shallows to meet her there.

Emerging from the surface of the pool, I find Seana sitting in one corner of the cave, reading a book. She startles at my sight and then rolls her eyes. "You scared me."

"Sorry," I say, elbows on the bank. Seana's wearing a green t-shirt and jean shorts. She folds the page of her book and sets it aside.

"How are you?" she asks. "What's up?"

"Nothing. I was just walking on the beach when I realized you were here."

She nods and lays back on the sand. "Are you excited for the dance?"

Ugh. The dance. I'd forgotten about it. It's not that I hate dances, I just … I don't want to go to _this_ dance.

It was this time, last year, that I'd announced my love for Jacob Mitchell. "I really like you," I'd said. "Do you want to go out?"

I certainly hadn't expected the snigger from his friends or the way he rolled his eyes and told me never in a million years. Seana, who'd urged me to do it, felt terrible and screamed at him for being rude. But I just wanted to cry and begged Percy to drive me home.

Seana came with us and slept over my house, while Percy went to a party and got so wasted I had to cover for his chores the next day. Isla was at that party, too, and I know she got drunk but something else happened, too, something bad. She's never spoken of it, but we all know that something changed.

She used to be a good 140 pounds, normal and toned, full chest, big smile. I remember Isla with rosey cheeks and a bubbly laugh. She wore makeup, too, and cute outfits. But, after the party last year…

She must be down to 110 or 100 pounds at this point, although she's not actively not eating. If there are chips or cake or one of us points out that she hasn't touched her lunch, she'll eat, but she doesn't seem to enjoy food. Her fashion sense flipped upside down; I haven't seen her made up in ages and she wears faded jeans and a solid t-shirt every day of the year. The color's faded from her face, her eyes specifically, and her smile's gone with it. Her grades have slipped, and she spends way more time in the water. At first, we pressured her about it, but after a few months of her not talking, we decided to let it be.

"Do you think it'll suck as much as last year?" I ask sarcastically.

"What, with the Jacob thing? Screw him, Mika, he's a dick."

"I _know._ And I more meant with the Isla thing."

"Oh. I hope not."

We sit in silence for a second. "I was thinking… I was thinking of asking Flynn." Seana admits quietly.

"WHAT?!"

"What?" she responds, blushing.

" _FLYNN?_ Annoying, little brother, thorn-in-our-side _Flynn?"_

"He's not like that anymore!" Seana protests. "He's really grown up."

"Ugh, what _ever!"_ I squeal, but I knew Seana's been crushing on him for a while. If she likes him, good for her.

"Hey, I've gotta go, but I'll see you soon, k?" she says after a moment.

"Sure. I'll head out with you."

After a while, the two of us split ways and I go home. Mom is watching TV and Dad is at work. "Hi, hun," she says, patting the sofa cushion next to her.

"Hi, Mom. Where's Percy?"

"Sleeping, as usual." I roll my eyes. It's almost eleven a.m. "Do you have any plans for today?"

"No," I respond, "not really."

"I'm going over Cleo's this afternoon, you should come. Isla will be there."

"Maybe," I tell her. I have homework to do, but I could squeeze it in.

"Okay. Whatever you want to do is fine, love."

After a moment, she looks down at me. "Mika," she says, "do you know if anything's going on with Isla?"

"Hmm? No. I haven't noticed anything," I lie.

"Cleo says her grades are getting worse and worse."

"Weird."

A second later, Percy comes out, wearing only a pair of basketball shorts. His hair is all ruffled and I wrinkle my nose at him. "Put on a shirt!"

"Put on a shirt!" he whines back, imitating me. I roll my eyes.

Just as I forget our spat, however, Percy hops over the back of the couch and lands right on me. "OW!" I shout, shoving him.

He shoves me back, resulting in a full wrestling match until we're both crying with laughter. "You two are crazy," Mom mutters.

She's right.


	87. Chapter 86

Chapter 86- PERCY'S POV

I'm sitting in my room, texting Holden.

 _What are you doing after the dance?_ he asks.

 _Idk. Going to a party if there is one._

 _I think Johns having some ppl over but idk if its a party._

 _I'd go to that. I don't really care if its like a rager._

 _Lol not like last year._

 _Ugh don't talk about that._

 _You were so fucking wasted man._

 _I know, shut up._

 _You're lucky my cousin drove us home. You're also lucky I was there, or you would have hooked up with emily miller._

I cringe at the thought. Not that it was me leading her one- no, not by any means. She was the one who practically dragged me into somebody's bedroom before Holden swooped in.

 _Don't remind me._

 _Haha. Isla's not going to the dance._

 _Rlly? Why?_

 _Idk. I still think something happened last year._

 _Yeah, same._

 _Has she ever talked about it?_

 _John said that Juna tried to talk to her about it a like month after, but like really pushed her on it, and she started crying and said it was nothing and that everybody should just shut up about it._

 _Oh yeah, he told me too. That's weird. What even happened?_

 _Idk. She just disappeared halfway through the party, according to Juna, and she hasn't been the same since._

Just then, Mom calls me out for dinner. _I gotta go eat,_ I text him

 _Okay,_ he responds, _Talk to you later._

I head downstairs and sit at my usual seat. Since it was Mika's night to set the table, the food is out a few seconds after I get there. "Thanks, Mom," I say, serving myself. Mika sits down next to me and Mom and Dad sit across from us. Dad's got a big, white bandage around his arm from a nasty cut he got diving. "How's your arm?" I ask.

"Getting better. I'll be back in the water soon," he responds. "How was your day, bud?"

"Fine," I tell him. It really was just fine. I got a B+ on a maths test, took a chem quiz that went okay, hung out with Holden and Isla, and then went surfing for a bit after school.

"And how about you, sweetheart?" Dad asks Mika, who's been absentmindedly picking at her food. She looks up with wide eyes.

"Good. I got an A on my history test."

"That's great, hun," says Mom. "Are you two excited for your formal?"

"It's just a dance," I correct her, over Mika as she says, "Yeah, I guess."

"Neither of you sounds too enthusiastic," comments Dad.

"Dances probably aren't cool anymore, love," Mom butts in, rolling her eyes with a smirk. She and Dad love to make fun of us for being "hipper" than they are. "We've fallen behind the times!" they mock.

Mom and Dad are cool. As far as parents go, I got really lucky.

"I'm just not excited because Seana's gonna be with her _date_ all night," Mika says, eyes averted but making it obvious that she wants us to ask who this date is.

"Who's she going with?" I inquire, taking the bait.

" _FLYNN!"_ Mika nearly screams, causing me to wince.

Mom snorts. "Cleo's Flynn? Flynn who hasn't gone out of the house with his mother in three years?"

"Yes! Seana _likes_ him! I don't know how anybody could ever stand that little _pain_ for a whole _dance!"_

"Calm down, Mika, all boys are like that at that age," Dad responds. "Awkward, clumsy, and stubborn as a mule."

"I wasn't" I argue. "I was elegant, graceful, and as flexible as a willow tree."

"Somebody's been paying attention in English," Mom jokes.

"Whatever," Mika says. "I'm just gonna be bored and alone the whole night."

"Percy will be there, hun," Mom reminds her.

"Ugh," groans Mika, "the only thing worse than being alone is hanging onto your big brother." She's not serious, though; the two of us are close. Being only eighteen months apart, we kind of have to be.

"You have friends besides Seana," I tell her. "That girl Rachel and Janeen and Maria."

"It's Jackie, not Janeen, and they all have dates, too. And don't even mention Isla because she's not going, and neither is Juna, and I'm not just hanging around you, John, and Holden all night." Mika taps her foot against the ground.

"I'm sure your friends won't abandon you for their dates. That's not usually how it works," I tell her. My friends have brought dates in the past, and it's been fine.

"Have you thought of asking anyone?" asks Mom, causing Mika to blush. "Then you wouldn't be so lonely."

I happen to know that Mika likes somebody. Ahmed Kalb is two inches taller than I am, putting him at 6'2. He's got dark brown curls and darker brown eyes. He's the starting JV football striker and my little sister is obsessed with him. Not that she'd ever admit that to our parents.

"What?" she says. "No. All the guys in my grade are the worst." I was right.

"Flynn's not in your grade," Dad points out. "Why not ask somebody younger or older?"

"Because they all suck, too," Mika sighs. "Why don't you guys pester Percy about asking somebody? I'm sure there are _tons_ of girls who would love to go with him."

"Percy isn't the one complaining about all his friends having dates," Mom says. Mika rolls her eyes with a half-concealed smile.

"How about it, though, Perce?" asks Dad. "Anybody on the horizon?"

"No," I respond, trying hard not to let redness stain my cheeks. If that happened, they'd be all over me about it. Mika would name every girl in the school, trying to figure out who I like.

I do like somebody, it's just… he's not a girl.

 _Hurry up and finish dinner,_ my phone reads as a notification from Holden pops up, and I try not to smile. No, he's certainly not a girl.


	88. Chapter 87

**Hey guys! So BTW about the POVS, they'll be rotating just in terms of who I want to write/who has stuff going on.**

 **DA**

Chapter 87- Isla's POV

"Good morning," says Mom, running her hand over my hair as she carries the laundry to the washer. Flynn is still asleep but Reece follows like a puppy at her heels.

"Morning," I respond, grabbing a piece of bread from the counter and popping it into the toaster.

"Mama, I wanna go to the park!" whines Reece.

Mom rolls her eyes and takes a deep breath. "Honey, I told you that we can't go to the park right now," she says calmly. Reece frowns.

"Where's Dad?" I ask, munching my toast.

"In the bathroom," Mom says, and, as if on cue, Dad walks out.

"Hey, princess," he says, rubbing my shoulder.

Reece beams. "Daddy!" he exclaims, throwing himself around Dad's knees.

"Oh," Dad says, lifting him, "how's my big boy?"

"I am very good, how are you?" Reece responds, his fuzzy, practiced little words making me smile.

"I'm great," says Dad. He plops my baby brother down and makes himself a cup of coffee, leaning against the counter of our kitchen. Just then, Flynn comes stumbling out of his room, blonde hair a total mess. He's wearing an oversized band tee shirt and sweatpants and he's rubbing one eye.

"Flynn!" says Reece, bubbling with joy.

"Hey, bud," Flynn responds, tussling Reece's hair. Even if he ignores me and Mom and Dad forever and would throw up if we tried to be affectionate towards him, Flynn would never treat Reece badly. Reece is our little superstar.

"Good morning," says Mom as Flynn plops beside me and begins to eat an untoasted bagel. I scrunch my nose.

"So," says Dad, "are you two going to the formal tonight?"

I chew my toast slowly even though I feel bile rising in my throat and my stomach feels like rocks. I hope Flynn will run his mouth as he usually does and I can just melt away.

"Yeah, I'm going," my brother says, saving me. He keeps talking, but I stop listening. My head hurts.

" _I have to pee" Juna whines, tugging on my arm. She furrows her eyebrows and nods towards the bathroom. "Come with me! I hate going to the bathroom alone."_

 _Shaking my head, I wiggle out of her grasp. "I wanna stay out here. We've barely talked to anybody besides each other."_

 _Juna pouts. "Ugh," she says with annoyance, "you're the worst." Then she wanders to the line for the bathroom._

 _Finally alone, I look around. We're at the Schneider's house- it's mostly kids from school, here, and some outside of school dates. I'm wearing my dress, it's gold with a cute full skirt that stops at mid thigh, and it really hugs my curves. My chest is pushing the strapless C cup I'm in, but I'll survive. I straightened my hair so not a strand is out of place. I feel cute, and I know that the wing of my eyeliner and the gloss to my lips is perfect._

 _Just then, I catch Caleb Colver staring at me. He smiles and I smile back._

Come here, _he mouths. Caleb is a senior, and he's really hot. He's got strawberry blonde hair that always falls in front of his face and green eyes. I'd give anything to have him interested in me._

" _Hi," says Caleb, tilting his head to one side and giving me a lopsided smile. "You're Isla, right?"_

 _I blush and look down at my feet, giving him a soft, "Yeah."_

" _How do you know Phil?" Caleb's got great skin. He puts one hand on my waist._

" _He's my friend Percy's friend," I explain._

" _Thank Percy for me, then," he tells me. I can't help but giggle. "What year are you in?"_

" _Oh, ninth," I tell him. As the night continues, we settle onto couches and lose ourselves in conversation. Eventually, the music gets louder and I'm smiling at whatever Caleb is saying, even though I can't really hear him, anymore. He laughs at what I assume must have been the punchline of a joke and I laugh, too. Suddenly he looks up towards the center of the room, where people are dancing, and grins. "Wanna dance?" he asks, standing and extending one hand to help me up. As soon as I'm standing, he twirls me around. I laugh._

" _You're pretty good" he tells me._

" _I never took dance or anything," I admit, laughing._

" _I guess its just natural," Caleb says. He's … charming. I blush again._

 _"Hey," he whispers, closer to my ear now, "you're really pretty, you know?"_

 _I blush for the millionth and look down, but I feel pretty. Without hesitation, Raymond lifts my face towards his and kisses me. I feel butterflies explode in my stomach._

"Isla, did you hear that?"

Dad snaps me out of my stupor and I stare at him. "No, sorry," I eventually apologize, "hear what?"

"Your brother has a _date_ to the dance!" Mom responds. I look at Flynn with eyebrows raised.

"What? Who is this poor soul?" I joke. Flynn sneers.

"It's … Seana," he finally mutters. Mom grins even more.

"Seana?!" I say in shock. "Oh my god, that is so _cute!_ Are you gonna kiss her?"

"Ew, what? No! We're just friends!" Flynn lies. He's blushing so much it's adorable.

"What about you, Isla?" asks Mom. I shake my head no and try to focus on Flynn, because that's distracting me.

"Mama," Reece butts in, "can we go the park now, pretty please?"

"I'll take him," I say, hopping off of my stool, "I just gotta shower."

"Aw, hun, are you sure? You don't have anything to do?" asks Mom.

"No, it's fine." I grab a towel from the clean laundry and head to the bathroom.

When I'm in the shower, I sit in the tub and flick my tail lazily. I always feel calmer as a mermaid… more secure, I guess.

After a while, I get out and begin to get dressed. My hips bruise against my skin due to their prominence as I buckle a pair of jeans over them. I pull on an oversized sweatshirt- I don't really need a bra at my size- and braid my hair. I glance at all my old makeup and then into the mirror. With the sweatshirt on, I'm a blob, but, under it, I'm a stick.

I haven't had my period in a while. I feel undesirable.

I feel safe.

"Come on, kid," I say, walking back into the kitchen. Reece runs to me with glee.

At the park, I sit in the cold wind and focus on breathing.


	89. Chapter 88

Chapter 88- Juna's POV

Laying on my back, I stare up at the ceiling. My hair keeps falling into my face but I'm too lazy to get a hair tie and pull it back. Isla should be here any minute. I'd asked if she wanted to sleepover tonight weeks ago. " _The dance will be boring, anyway,"_ I'd lied. The truth is, I knew that the thought of going made her sick and that she needed an excuse. Just now, John knocks on my door frame and asks me, "How do I look?"

I sit up and glance him over. He's got on a navy blue suit that looks really nice. "You look dapper," I respond.

"Thanks. You sure you don't wanna come?" my twin asks. I shake my head.

"Isla really wants to skip it. I don't want her to be alone. Besides, I don't care that much, anyway."

"Hmm," John sighs, "you're a good friend, kid." I feign horror.

" _Kid?_ Need I remind you who was born three minutes before who?"

"Need I remind you who acts like a child and who doesn't?" John fires back.

I start to get up, mouth open and trying not to smile. "A child? You're calling _me_ a child?"

Just as we start really going at it, Mama walks by. "Oh," she says, "John, let me see you!" She holds him at arm's length, black hair clipped back. "You look so handsome, hun. Mom won't be home in time to see you, so let me take some pictures."

"Ugh, Mama, no," my brother sighs.

"Ha ha," I mock, but then Mama shakes her head at me.

"Don't think you're getting out of this, missie," she says.

"What? I'm not even going! I'm wearing _sweatpants,_ for God's sake!" Mama smiles.

"These are precious family memories," she says, "so we're gonna take pictures." I groan and lean against the wall, preparing for my ultimate doom.

About an hour later, I hear Isla knock on my door. "Hey," she says, letting herself in quietly. I wave to her from the couch as she sits beside me, in a too-big sweatshirt and a pair of leggings. She draws her knees to her chest and asks, "What are we watching?"

"This is just _Chopped,_ but we can change it," I respond.

"Whatever."

I flip through the channels and glance at Isla. Her eyes are vacant. I wonder what she's thinking about.

 _ISLA'S POV FLASHBACK:_

 _As Caleb kisses me, I am confused but overjoyed. His lips are soft and gentle and I even though this isn't my first kiss- there was Joey Pizzano on the back of the bus on a dare a year ago- this is my first high school-style kiss, like in movies or whatever. Caleb cups my chin in his hands. I kiss him back, putting my arms around his neck, almost awkwardly but mostly perfectly. Slipping his tongue inside my mouth, Caleb surprises me, but I don't protest. "Let's find somewhere," he says gruffly, pulling away, and, even though I don't really get what he means, I follow him away from the crowd and into the hall._

 _Phil's got a nice house. There's a bunch of pictures of him and his family and I feel kind of weird but I try to forget about it._

 _Soon, Caleb opens one of the doors and leads me into a bedroom. It has maroon walls and a queen bed in the center. It must be Phil's parents' room._

 _Spinning me around, Caleb kisses me again, closing the door against my back. Then, I feel him reach around me and lock it._ He must not want anyone to barge in on us _, I think, but my stomach sinks, just a little._

 _Lifting me by the waist, Caleb spins me around and I laugh, almost forgetting why I was that little bit worried a moment ago, but, then he reaches beneath my dress and grips my thigh. My skin explodes in goosebumps and, for the second time, I don't feel right about this but I don't tell him to stop. Caleb throws me onto the bed and I let out a breathy laugh. Then he climbs on top, kissing me again and groping my boobs through my dress._

 _Uncomfortable, I squirm, but it's not enough not enough for me to walk away. I mean, this is what happens in high school._

 _Suddenly, Caleb shoves up the skirt of my dress and sticks his head in between my legs, gently grazing my inner thighs with his tongue. I suck in my breath sharply and whisper, "Hey," trying to scooch away._

 _Without stopping, Caleb holds my legs down with his hands._

JUNA'S POV

"Hey," I say, trying to snap her out of it. Isla looks up at me in surprise.

"Oh," she says, "what?"

"Nothing, you just spaced out." She blushes.

"Oh, sorry. So, what do you want to watch?"

I frown slightly but brush it off. "I don't care. _The Way He Looks_ is pretty good."

"I haven't seen it," says the blonde.

"It's good. It's cute. Do you want to make popcorn?"

"Yeah," Isla says, standing and heading towards the kitchen. "Where is everyone?" she asks over her shoulder.

"John's at the dance, and my moms went out after work," I reply, following her. She grabs the popcorn and tosses it into the microwave, setting it for two minutes. I hop on the counter and watch as she checks her phone.

"What do you wanna do tonight?"

"I don't know. Wanna make cookies or something later?" I ask.

"Yeah, sounds good."

"When are you leaving tomorrow?"

Isla thinks for a second. "I don't think I'm doing anything, so it doesn't really matter."

"Wanna go to the mall in the morning? I need new eyeliner, and you need a new chem binder." I've been making fun of her tattered binder for a while now, so she rolls her eyes.

"Sure, I'll just text my mom." She plugs in her phone and texts Cleo, or so I assume. "So, did you hear about Flynn and Seana?"

"No," I say, "what about them?"

"They're going to the dance together. I think they're gonna date."

I laugh. "For real? That's so weird, they're like children."

"I know," Isla mock-groans, scrunching her nose. "Flynn says he doesn't _like_ her, but Percy said Mika said that they both like each other and I'm pretty sure he does. I hope Seana does. Honestly, she'd be good for him."

"First Veda and Reece, now Flynn and Seana… the Chadwick's and the McCartney's are destined to be together," I joke. We like to make fun of Veda and Reece's close friendship.

"Who does that leave for me?" asks Isla, smiling.

"You can have Percy," I respond.

"First of all, not a Chadwick. Second, he's already Holden's." Like Veda and Reece, we make fun of Percy and Holden's friendship, too. This time, though, we're a little more serious. They're kind of obviously in love. I mean, they're just friends but their friendship is pushing marriage.

"Fine, then, you can have me," I say. "Or _John."_ I make a face and so does Isla.

"I'd much rather you," she laughs.

"Good, and John can have … he can have…" I rack my brain for an idea. Isla grins.

"He can have Mika!" We both burst out laughing at the idea of my serious, bulking older brother dating little, skittish, 5'1 Mika. Suddenly, the microwave beeps. Still giggling, I grab the popcorn and pour it into a bowl. We head back to the couch, start the movie and munch on it. Isla rests her head in my lap and I play gently with her hair, wondering momentarily how the dance is going.

At the end of the movie, we head to my room. We talk for a while and eventually fall asleep. Nights like this remind me why we've been friends for so long.


	90. Chapter 89

Chapter 89- Percy's POV

Even though it's rainy and gross and fairly cold, I still somehow let John, Mike, Sam and Dave convince me to go to the carnival with them. After the dance, the five of us crashed at Sam's and stayed up late watching TV. John said Juna and Isla were sleeping at his place, and I know Mika was having Seana over my place, and Mike and Dave's parents aren't very into having a bunch of sixteen year old boys over, so Sam's it was.

This morning we heard that the carnival was in town, and they all begged me to hit it up. After ages, I finally agreed. "I'm not spending a ton of money on stupid games, though," I warned, knowing they'd try to convince me to play those basketball shooting games or dart toss. If I wanted a stuffed banana with dreadlocks I'd just order it online.

Anyway, now we're sloshing our way through puddles and I'm slowly drinking a sprite. Holden's hand brushes mine as we walk a couple of times, and, each instance, I blush. Little butterflies are flying around in my stomach and the other guys in our group slowly get farther away as we walk behind them in silence. To distract myself, I grab my phone and text Juna.

 _Hey, how was Isla last night._

 _she was fine, a little weird tho_

 _Did she tell you anything?_

 _no… this morning we were talking about who people probably hooked up with last night tho and she said she wished everyone would stop hooking up so i asked her why and she got really quiet and was like i just think its dangerous. Idk i didn't push._

 _Ok. I hope she's ok, or will at least tell us what's wrong at some point._

 _me too_

Just then, Holden stops.

"Percy," he says, "wanna go on the Ferris wheel?"

I look up at the spinning, colorful ride and shrug. "Why not?"

"Sam!" My best friend calls, "We're gonna ride the Ferris wheel!"

Sam nods and the other boys start into a food tent as Holden and I get in line. It isn't a long wait, since the Ferris wheel isn't the most popular ride on any day, let alone a cloudy Tuesday. Soon, we're situated in a green car and waiting for the ride to begin.

"Percy," Holden says as we sit, "did you see how Megan was looking at you at the dance?"

"Yeah." Megan is a girl in our grade, and Holden insists that she has a crush on me. She's cute, I guess, with red hair and brown eyes and freckles, but I'm not into her or anything. Once she told me I was really smart and all her friends giggled I mean, she's cute, but not half-Korean, half-Chinese cute.

I shrug and look down at the park, which isn't very far below as we still haven't started moving. I wait for it to move and take out my phone, as Holden is using his. I have a text from Isla.

 _FLYNN AND SEANA KISSED!_

I smile. "Flynn and Seana kissed," I repeat to Holden, who laughs.

 _Really? Are they dating?_

 _I don't know, he wouldn't tell me anything after I started freaking out about that. Aww omg it was their first kiss that's so cute._

I smile at my friend's enthusiasm. _Did you have a goodnight._

Her response is immediate. _Yes._ I can tell, from the period and the one-word answer, that she doesn't want me asking more questions. I can't help but wonder _what happened._

 _ISLA'S POV FLASHBACK_

 _Without stopping, Caleb holds my legs down with his hands. I don't know what he's doing and try to squirm again, propping myself up on my elbows and attempting to wiggle out of his grasp. "Caleb," I say as he holds me tighter, "please stop." I didn't know he wanted to go this far or I never would have come in here with him. He doesn't respond, only pulls at my underwear gently. "What are you doing?" I ask, louder this time. I don't feel cute anymore, just afraid, and, even though I know I've had a lot to drink, pretty sober. "Stop!"_

 _Finally, Caleb speaks, moving up towards my face and pushing me back against the bed firmly. "Shh," he whispers, "it's okay. I know what you want."_

 _He says it so casually, and like he really believes I'm just playing hard-to-get or something. "No," I respond, "seriously, get the fuck off me!"_

 _Not even acknowledging that he heard me this time, Caleb takes off my underwear all together. Fear begins to tighten in my chest as I realize what a dangerous situation this is._

 _The door is locked. The music outside is loud. The lights are off._

 _I'm scared._

PERCY'S POV

Suddenly, a man over the loudspeaker reminds us one final time to fasten our seat belts and the ride gives a groan and starts to spin.

"So..." Holden continues, running one hand through his hair, "do you ... Like her?" He sneezes and our car rocks, causing me to jump and grip the sides. Holden laughs and calls me a wimp.

His accent is so cute. I look him up and down. "No, I don't like her. She's cool, but not my type."

Wiggling his eyebrows, my best friend smirks. "Oh," he says, "so you have a type?"

I try not to blush and look away.

Holden is my closest friend. He's funny, and understanding, and really cool. And I know he won't care if I tell him I'm into guys, but won't he care if he knows I'm into him?

Maybe not, I think. He could just accept it and be cool.

Finally, I take a breath. "Yeah, I have a type. Guys."

I don't look up but I can feel Holden staring at me. "Guys?" He finally says. I nod. "So you're, like, gay?"

I nod again. "And..." I finally continue, "there's something else. I ... Like someone."

"Who?"

At this point, I do look up. I stare straight into Holden's eyes as I say the word: "You."

Holden doesn't break eye contact with me for a long time. Finally, he looks away.

"I can't believe this," he says. "For so long, I've been afraid. I just can't believe this."

"What?" I ask, confused.

"Percy," he says, looking back at me, "I like you, too. More than like, really. I mean, I don't know... I feel really strongly about you. In a romantic way, I guess."

"You're gay, too?" I say in utter shock.

"No ... Bi, maybe? Or pan? I don't know, I don't know a lot about this stuff, but I do know I've liked girls and guys and everything in between. And I know I like you."

I stare at Holden. Holden, who likes guys. Holden, who likes ME!

"What are you saying?" I finally ask. "Like, do you want to ... Go out?"

Looking up at me, Holden's brown eyes gleam.

"Yes," he says. "Percy, will you go out with me?"

And, for the first time, I can finally reach over, take his face in my hands, and kiss him. "Yes," I say. "I will."


	91. Chapter 90

Chapter 90

I had the dream again. I can't breathe.

" _I have to pee" Juna whines, tugging on my arm. She furrows her eyebrows and nods towards the bathroom. "Come with me! I hate going to the bathroom alone."_

 _Shaking my head, I wiggle out of her grasp. "I wanna stay out here. We've barely talked to anybody besides each other."_

 _Juna pouts. "Ugh," she says with annoyance, "you're the worst." Then she wanders to the line for the bathroom._

 _Finally alone, I look around. We're at the Schneider's house- it's mostly kids from school, here, and some outside of school dates. I'm wearing my dress, it's gold with a cute full skirt that stops at mid thigh, and it really hugs my curves. My chest is pushing the strapless C cup I'm in, but I'll survive. I straightened my hair so not a strand is out of place. I feel cute, and I know that the wing of my eyeliner and the gloss to my lips is perfect._

 _Just then, I catch Caleb Colver staring at me. He smiles and I smile back._

Come here, _he mouths. Caleb is a senior, and he's really hot. He's got strawberry blonde hair that always falls in front of his face and green eyes. I'd give anything to have him interested in me._

" _Hi," says Caleb, tilting his head to one side and giving me a lopsided smile. "You're Isla, right?"_

 _I blush and look down at my feet, giving him a soft, "Yeah."_

" _How do you know Phil?" Caleb's got great skin. He puts one hand on my waist._

" _He's my friend Percy's friend," I explain._

" _Thank Percy for me, then," he tells me. I can't help but giggle. "What year are you in?"_

" _Oh, ninth," I tell him. As the night continues, we settle onto couches and lose ourselves in conversation. Eventually, the music gets louder and I'm smiling at whatever Caleb is saying, even though I can't really hear him, anymore. He laughs at what I assume must have been the punchline of a joke and I laugh, too. Suddenly he looks up towards the center of the room, where people are dancing, and grins. "Wanna dance?" he asks, standing and extending one hand to help me up. As soon as I'm standing, he twirls me around. I laugh._

" _You're pretty good" he tells me._

" _I never took dance or anything," I admit, laughing._

" _I guess its just natural," Caleb says. He's … charming. I blush again._

 _"Hey," he whispers, closer to my ear now, "you're really pretty, you know?"_

 _I blush for the millionth and look down, but I feel pretty. Without hesitation, Caleb lifts my face towards his and kisses me. I feel butterflies explode in my stomach._

 _As Caleb kisses me, I am confused but overjoyed. His lips are soft and gentle and I even though this isn't my first kiss- there was Joey Pizzano on the back of the bus on a dare a year ago- this is my first high school-style kiss, like in movies or whatever. Caleb cups my chin in his hands. I kiss him back, putting my arms around his neck, almost awkwardly but mostly perfectly. Slipping his tongue inside my mouth, Caleb surprises me, but I don't protest. "Let's find somewhere," he says gruffly, pulling away, and, even though I don't really get what he means, I follow him away from the crowd and into the hall._

 _Phil's got a nice house. There's a bunch of pictures of him and his family and I feel kind of weird but I try to forget about it._

 _Soon, Caleb opens one of the doors and leads me into a bedroom. It has maroon walls and a queen bed in the center. It must be Phil's parents' room._

 _Spinning me around, Caleb kisses me again, closing the door against my back. Then, I feel him reach around me and lock it._ He must not want anyone to barge in on us _, I think, but my stomach sinks, just a little._

 _Lifting me by the waist, Caleb spins me around and I laugh, almost forgetting why I was that little bit worried a moment ago, but, then he reaches beneath my dress and grips my thigh. My skin explodes in goosebumps and, for the second time, I don't feel right about this but I don't tell him to stop. Caleb throws me onto the bed and I let out a breathy laugh. Then he climbs on top, kissing me again and groping my boobs through my dress._

 _Uncomfortable, I squirm, but it's not enough not enough for me to walk away. I mean, this is what happens in high school._

 _Suddenly, Caleb shoves up the skirt of my dress and sticks his head in between my legs, gently grazing my inner thighs with his tongue. I suck in my breath sharply and whisper, "Hey," trying to scooch away._

 _Without stopping, Caleb holds my legs down with his hands. I don't know what he's doing and try to squirm again, propping myself up on my elbows and attempting to wiggle out of his grasp. "Caleb," I say as he holds me tighter, "please stop." I didn't know he wanted to go this far or I never would have come in here with him. He doesn't respond, only pulls at my underwear gently. "What are you doing?" I ask, louder this time. I don't feel cute anymore, just afraid, and, even though I know I've had a lot to drink, pretty sober. "Stop!"_

 _Finally, Caleb speaks, moving up towards my face and pushing me back against the bed firmly. "Shh," he whispers, "it's okay. I know what you want."_

 _He says it so casually, and like he really believes I'm just playing hard-to-get or something. "No," I respond, "seriously, get the fuck off me!"_

 _Not even acknowledging that he heard me this time, Caleb takes off my underwear all together. Fear begins to tighten in my chest as I realize what a dangerous situation this is._

 _The door is locked. The music outside is loud. The lights are off._

 _I'm scared, drunk and much smaller than him, and now he's unbuttoning his pants. I try, again, to stop him._

 _"Help!" I shout, but but not too loudly. I'm afraid that, well ... What if this isn't what I think it is? What if I'm just confused? All I know for fact is that this feels so wrong._

 _"Shut up," Caleb whispers, putting one, sweaty hand over my mouth. I try to call out again but he tightens his grip and then, removing his shirt, ties it around my mouth like a gag. My eyes widen and I flop around, but he holds me down with one arm while using the other to take off his pants, tossing them aside with his boxers. I scream into the gag but the noise is muffled. He grins, whispering that it's all okay._

 _And then Caleb thrusts inside of me, and it hurts so much that I begin to cry and he goes fast, over and over again. He continues to whisper how it's alright and he knows what's best for me but at this point I'm almost sort of numb with pain and fear and I don't know how long passes before he pulls out and comes on me, all over my bare legs. My dress isn't even off, just pushed up, away from my pelvis. The room is spinning as Caleb climbs off of me and puts his pants back on, and I don't try to struggle as he unties his shirt from around my face. "There now," he finally says, kissing my cheek as he whispers. "That wasn't so bad, now was it?"_

 _And then Caleb leaves me in the dark of the room and I hear him start talking to somebody outside like nothing just happened, but only one thought is running through my mind:_

 _This is all my fault._

It was all my fault.


	92. Chapter 91

**Hey guys! This is skipping six months ahead, mostly because not much happens in these six months. Anyway, enjoy!**

 **DA**

Chapter 91- Seana's POV

"Hi," I say, opening the door to let in Mika. She smiles at me.

"Hey."

"How are you?"

"I'm good." She plops down on my couch and I sit next to her. "You?"

"Good." I check my phone for any texts from … anyone. Flynn hasn't texted me in about two hours, not that I care.

"So," she says, tilting her head towards me with a grin, "how is he?"

I blush. "Who?"

"Oh please," Mika rolls her eyes, "you _know_ who."

Biting my lower lip, I try not to smile. "Flynn is good."

"Like _good_ good or like fine good?" Mika asks, and it's my turn to roll my eyes.

"Good good."

"Have you been _kissing_?" Mika scrunches her nose.

"A little," I laugh. "We haven't hung out since last weekend, though."

"Boo," Mika pouts. She glances down at her phone.

"Who are _you_ expecting?" I ask.

"Nobody." Mika leans back. "Just texting Percy."

"Why?"

"He's been weird lately."

I raise one eyebrow. "Weird how?"

"Weird like too happy weird. For a while now, actually. Like _super_ happy." Mika tucks some hair behind her ear and then stands. "Can I get some food? I'm starving," she says.

"Sure." I get up and follow her to the kitchen, getting a bowl of grapes out of the fridge. She hops on the counter and I do the same, both of us popping the small fruits into our mouths. Just then, the garage door opens and in walk my mom and dad, toting Veda behind them. "Mika!" my sister exclaims upon seeing my best friend, racing over.

"Hey, kid," Mika smiles, tussling Veda's hair. My mom put her purse down on the table and my dad follows behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Hi, Mika," says mom.

"Hi, Rikki," Mika says back. "Hi, Zane."

"Are you girls ready to go soon?" asks Dad, walking over to Veda and scooping her up. She squeals.

"Yeah, sure. Let us just grab our stuff," I respond. We're all going to Cleo's for a get-together tonight. Mika walked over beforehand since her parents couldn't drive her. Percy is getting there with Holden one way or another. They've been out all day with their other friends doing guy things. Speaking of guys, Flynn hasn't texted me in two hours and fifteen minutes.

I jump down from the counter and walk to my room. Mika follows me and watches as I grab my shoes and coat. "Ugh," she mutters after a minute, " _see?"_ Holding out her phone, Mika lets me see a text from Percy. _K, see you soon! Love you!_ It reads. "He's way too happy! Look at all those exclamation points. And why is he saying 'love you'? I'm gonna see him in like half an hour."

"I don't know," I respond, tying back my hair and walking out into the living room and then out to the car, where mom and dad are waiting. "Maybe he got a girlfriend."

"As if," Mika sneers. "I would be more in shock if he got a girlfriend than if I got a boyfriend."

"Hmm, yeah, both would be pretty shocking," I tease, earning a punch on the shoulder. We get in the car, Veda in between us, and head over to Cleo's. I drowse against the window until we arrive.

"Hi," Cleo says, opening the door with a smile and letting us in. She squeezes my mom into a hug and then my dad, before me and Mika and even Veda. "How are guys?"

"Good," we all respond.

"Oh, girls, you're getting so big! I keep forgetting that you aren't two anymore!" says Cleo.

"Mom," I hear groaned from behind us, and I turn to see Isla leaning against the hall wall.

"What?" Cleo defends. "I watched you kids grow up!"

"It's still weird," Isla jokes, and then looks at us. "Hey, guys," she says. "Do you wanna go to my room?"

"Sure," Mika says, and I nod. "Veda," I tell my sister, "go hang out with Reece."

"Mkay," she says, trotting off. Isla, Mika and I head down the hall. Just then, however, Flynn comes out of his room and bumps right into us. "Oh," he says. "Hey guys. Hey, Seana."

"Hi," I respond, smiling.

Isla and Mika smirk at each other. "Come on, Mike," Isla says after a minute, "I think we're gonna be hanging out alone, tonight."

"Yeah," I say, "you guys go on, I'll catch up." They laugh and go into Isla's room, but just as Flynn and I are about to go into his, Cleo walks by.

"Hey!" she says. "No closed doors!"

"Mom," Flynn groans, and I blush.

"What?" she defends for the second time since I've arrived. "You know the rules." Flynn rolls his eyes and pulls me into his room, leaving the door wide open.

"So," he says, "what's up?"

"Nothing," I shake my head, sitting down on his rug. "What have you been up to today?"

"Shopping with my mom for this party," he explains. "Man, I never thought there could be a need to go to so many different grocery stores in one day."

I laugh and then stand and sit next to him on his bed, where he's flopped back. "Are you excited for school on Monday?" I half-joke.

"Yeah," Flynn replies sarcastically, "totally."

He props himself up on his elbows and smiles at me. "You look really pretty."

"Thanks," I grin, "you do too."

"I look pretty?" Flynn asks.

I meant he just looks good but I roll my eyes and go with it. "Yeah, you do."

Flynn bites his lip and then quickly and suddenly kisses me before laying back again. I blush tremendously and try to conceal the smile that's spreading across my face. Even though we've been officially dating for, like, four months now, we don't kiss that much. All of the suddenly Cleo calls out from the living room, "Kids, dinner is ready!"

"I guess we should go," says Flynn, taking one of my hands and standing.

When we get back to the living room, I see that Cleo has set up a bunch of plates of food on the table and everyone is just grabbing stuff. Bella and Will have arrived, and Lewis has come home. Kim and Eavie are there, too, and Juna and John. They're sitting with Isla and Mika on the couch, and Flynn and I join them once we've gotten some food.

"Mika," Bella calls after a while of the six of us talking, "where is your brother?"

Mika shrugs. "I don't know," she says, "he was hanging out with the guys all day. Him and Holden should be here soon."

As if on queue, a knock sounds at the door. Cleo runs and grabs it, coming back with two sheepish looking boys.

"Hi everybody," Percy says. "We got a little caught up."

"I would say so," Will scolds. "Where were you guys."

Holden and Percy look at each other. "Oh," Holden says, with Percy shrugging, "you know…"

"Hanging with the guys," Percy explains.

"At the mall," adds Holden.

Bella raises her eyebrows. "At the mall?"

We all stare at them until Percy says, " _Yeah_! It was fun!"

"Okay," Will says after a bit, and then everything is normal again. Percy, Holden, Mika, Isla, Juna, John, Flynn and laugh and talk. I feel good.


	93. Chapter 92

Chapter 91- Percy's POV

Walking into the library, I sit down in a secluded area and take out my phone, opening a game and starting to play. I promised Holden I'd meet him here after lunch so we could study. Although I doubt we'll get much studying done. When we're alone together, we're usually having really long, personal talks or not talking at all. I love him so much.

Wait, did I just think that?

Woah… do I love him? We haven't even been dating that long and we haven't even _told_ anyone (we agreed it would be better not to tell anyone at school until we were both ready to tell our parents.) Could I love him?

Crap. I think I do.

Just then, he slides next to me on the couch, greeting me with a "Hey, babe," and a kiss on the cheek. Nobody is around so he feels safe to do so. I smile and lean against him, but continue to play my video game. He watches on.

Once I've beaten my level, I turn off my phone and close my eyes, head on Holden's shoulder. He rubs my side and says nothing.

Gently, I feel him shift so that his face is closer to mine and I open my eyes. Holden is staring at me, his face serious. He presses his lips against mine softly and I return the gesture, eager to please my boyfriend.

Gently cupping my neck, he deepens the kiss, slipping his tongue into my mouth. "Come on," he whispers, "let's go somewhere."

"What about studying?" I smirk. Holden rolls his eyes.

"I'll survive," he says, taking my hand and dragging me away. We're headed towards the locker room when we pass Isla and Juna.

"Hey! Guys, wait up!"

Internally, I groan, but I turn and smile at them anyway. Isla is frowning slightly and walking behind her friend.

"Okay, so we just saw Max and Laura making out. Did you guys know they were a thing?" asks Juna. I shake my head, intrigued but distracted.

"Yeah, right? Like when did that happen?"

"Don't know," Holden says impatiently.

"Are you guys going somewhere?" Isla asks.

"Yeah," I say, "we have to get some stuff from the boys' locker room."

"Oh," says Juna. "Okay. See you later."

"Bye," I smile, and then Holden and I rush off. As soon as we're in the locker room, he drags me off towards the most private corner and pins me up against the wall, lips all over me.

But, since the universe hates me, my mom chooses to call at that moment. "Ugh," I groan, and then pick up.

"Hey, mom," I say. "What's up?" Holden pouts, pulling me against him and biting his lower lip. I glare at him, a visual warning not to try anything funny. Despite this, he presses his mouth to my neck, sucking hard and moving up towards my ear. "Hmm?" I say into the phone, one hand holding it to my ear and the other tracing Holden's chest through his shirt. "Oh, Mika? Yeah, I don't know where she is." Holden starts to bite on my earlobe, luckily not the one near the phone, and I bite my lower lip and try to be quiet. "Yeah, I'll tell her to call you if I see her," I say, almost choking. "Okay. Okay, bye mom."

Hanging up, I scowl at my boyfriend. "You're a dick," I tell him, but then his mouth is on mine with so much force that I almost gasp.

Holden slowly graces his hands under my shirt and I shiver, my arms strong around his waist. I move away from his mouth and begin tracing gentle kisses down his neck and towards his collar bone.

Holden tenses. "Percy," he whispers in my ear, voice strained. Pressing his hips against me, my boyfriend lets me feel his erection and I smile. He gently runs his hands through my hair until I push him too far by lightly biting the skin on his neck. Holden rips off my shirt and begins to kiss every part of me, one hand wrapped around my hard dick through my shorts. I moan, trying to be as quiet as possible since, after all, we are in school.

"... Just wanna see what it looks like- oh!"

Holden shoots away from me. His face is red and terrified.

Standing in the around the corner with her mouth in a perfect O shape is Julia, one of the freshmen. Her two friends are behind her, one of them blushing and the other trying not to giggle.

"Oh! Oh, I'm so, so sorry!" Julia finally says. I'm awkwardly trying to cover my boner with my shirt, which still isn't on. Holden is shaking.

"Um, we won't, like, tell anyone, if you guys are, like, in the closet," the younger girl continues.

I nod curtly and, stuttering some final apologies, the freshmen leave.

"Do you really think they won't tell anyone?" Holden eventually asks, breaking the long-held silence.

I stare at the door.

"I don't know."

Looking at me, Holden waits a beat and then shrugs. "I don't care. I'm not gonna tell anyone, but if they do, I won't be upset."

I mull it over before responding, "Me neither."

Smiling, Holden smooths back my hair. "Good," he says, "because I'm not finished with you yet." We pick up where we left off.

That night, after dinner, Mika comes into my room. "So," she says, sitting on my bed.

I look up from my chem homework and raise my eyebrows at her. "So?"

"Who are those hickeys from?"

Immediately, I blush and look in the mirror. Mika did not lie. "They're not hickeys," I stutter. "They're… bruises."

She rolls her eyes. "Mmhmm." Standing, she walks to me and narrows her eyes. "If you think you can hide this from me, you are mistaken," she smirks. "I will find this girl."

I laugh. "Have fun looking for a girl that doesn't exist."

What?

It's not like I lied.


	94. Chapter 93

Chapter 93- Juna's POV

Isla fumbles with her housekey as I wait for us to get inside. Precariously balancing several books, I groan. "Hurry!"

"Mmhmm," Isla mutters, before finally getting the door open and dropping all her stuff on the kitchen table. I follow.

It's Friday, and I am beyond glad. I can't deal with school for another second. Christ I wish I was just out of high school already.

Opening her cabinets, Isla begins to look around. "Do you want anything?" she asks, and I shrug.

"If you're eating."

As she reaches for a box of crackers, I eye her stomach, which has been exposed since her sweatshirt went up with her arms. Sunk in, it scares me. Her hips rise against her jeans, forming a bridge of fabric. Soon, though, she gets the box and brings her arms back down. Biting into one of the crackers, she offers me some. I take a sleeve and we begin to munch from it. Just then, Flynn comes out of his room, a sheepish-looking Seana trailing behind him. I raise my eyebrows at her and smirk.

Isla, however, looks upset. "What's going on?" she asks.

"Nothing, me and Seana were gonna go meet some friends at Rikki's, but I forgot my money," says Flynn, waving his wallet as he grabs his coat and begins to walk away.

"You know you two aren't allowed in the house alone," Isla says, creasing her forehead. I look at her in surprise; why does she care so much?

"Chill, you're not mom. We weren't doing anything, I just needed my wallet," Flynn says annoyedly. Seana glances between him and Isla with a worried expression.

"And you're not old enough to have girls over," Isla argues back. At this point I'm just confused.

"Why are you making such big deal about this?!" Flynn steams.

"Because it's… it's dangerous! You guys are kids! You shouldn't be doing stuff like that!" Isla stutters.

"We weren't _doing_ anything! God, you're such a bitch sometimes!"

Now I get annoyed with Flynn, too, even though Isla is being weird.

"Oh, shut _up!_ You're such an asshole! Do you _want_ me to tell mom?"

"No! And I don't want you to be crazy like this either!"

"You know what, just go! Have a great time! I won't tell mom but if you make any stupid decisions, it's not on me!" Isla says, waving him out the door.

"Fine! Bye!"

"Bye!"

Seana looks between the siblings like she wants to apologize to both but only silently follows Flynn, who slams the door behind them. Isla, looking at the door red-faced, shakes her head angrily.

"Fuck him," she says. "God, he's so _immature_ sometimes! Ugh!"

I listen to her in confusion. "Why did you freak out so much?"

"What? He's fourteen, he shouldn't have girls over!" Isla says, glaring at me now.

"I know that's like, the rule, but I really don't think they were doing anything," I say, "and, even if they were, you really aren't his mom. They're not your rules."

"But I agree with them! It's so _fucking stupid_ to do that stuff, especially at his age!" Isla says, still angry. I know she's about to cry but I don't know why.

"Isla, you kissed a boy before you were his age," I say gently. "What's the big deal?"

"You think they would only kiss in a house alone together?"

"I don't think they did anything."

"I know, but they _could_ have!"

"But like what's the big deal? They're dating! I don't think they should, like, go all the way, but I don't think they would. I don't get why you're so scared." I put my hand on Isla's shoulder because I can tell she's legitimately upset now, not just angry.

Looking away, Isla takes a deep breath. "I'm not," she says after a minute, "I'm just annoyed with him." All the emotion is gone from her voice, but then she looks back at me and smiles. "Do you want to watch a movie?"

I decide to let it go for now but am determined to bring it up later. "Sure."

That night, I'm lying on the floor next to Isla's bed. It's dark and we're not talking but I know she's not asleep. Finally, I reach up and take her hand.

"Isla," I say, "you there?"

"Yeah."

"Why… why did you get so upset with Flynn today?"

She shifts. "I told you, I was just pissed."

Bracing myself, I squeeze her hand. "Isla," I whisper, "I know you're lying. Whenever anybody talks about having sex or hooking up, or parties or drinking or anything _remotely_ risky like that, you get so upset. And I haven't missed the changes in you. None of us have. You used to be curvy and talkative and outgoing. You used to be really into fashion and makeup and you were just the life of the party. But now… you think I don't see how thin you are? You don't even wear a bra. And you just wear the same baggy outfits day after day and you never do your face or hair. You don't talk to anybody much and you're so quiet and nervous. Your grades are slipping and you don't care about school. And it scares me so much because I know you're hurting really bad and I love you so much. But I don't know what's wrong or how to help you. And I miss seeing you smile and laugh and I'm really scared that one day you're gonna do something bad because a lot of times it seems like you're so far gone. And I can't lose you, you know?" I try to stop shaking, a tick that happens anytime I say anything really serious.

There's a long while of silence. Finally, Isla begins to speak. "Do you… do you remember Phil's party last year?"

My heart begins to beat even faster. "Schneider's? Yeah."

"I- um… something bad happened. I-I did something bad."

Something clenches in my stomach. I need her to be okay.

"What happened?"

"Can you guess?" Isla says, her voice taking on a high-pitched warble. She trembles. I can feel it. "I just… I can't say it outloud. Okay? I can't say it outloud."

I can think of a million horrible things that could've happened but I don't want any of them to be true. I start small, praying she'll say yes. "Did you, like, try drugs or something?"

"No."

"Did you… hook up with somebody?"

Quiet.

"Did you have sex?"

I feel her move. I take that as some sort of a yes and my stomach flips as I ask the next question. "Did you get assaulted?"

Isla breathes shakily. "Oh my god," I say, beginning to cry, "were you raped? Isla did somebody rape you?"

"I shouldn't have gone in the room with him-I shouldn't have gone in the room with him," Isla hyperventilates, breathing rapidly now. I stand, tripping over myself, trying to get close to her.

"Oh my god, oh my god. Are you okay? Are you okay, did anything happen? Did you get an STD or pregnant or-or- are you okay?" I say, standing next to her. "Can I touch you?" I ask. "Is that okay?"

Isla nods quickly and I get in bed beside her, sitting partially up and holding her body tight to my chest. She is tiny and shaking. "I- I- nothing happened but I just- I shouldn't have gone in the room with him and now I can't ever breathe and I-I just-" her sentence ends with a choked sob.

Pushing her hair away from her hot face, I whisper, "Shh, shh." After a beat, I work up the courage to ask. "What happened? Who was it, do they go to our school?"

My best friend, still crying uncontrollably, shakes her head. "Not-not anymore. It was- it was-" at this point, she dissolves into tears. It takes a while for her to say the name. "Caleb. Caleb Culver."

"The senior?" I ask."Oh. Oh my god, Isla."

"We just- we were talking and I felt so special but- but then we went to a room and he started to make out with me and then he started to take off my underwear and I-I-I told him to stop but he didn't and he-he held me down and tied his shirt around my mouth and I just- I shouldn't have gone in the room with him!" Isla's voice sounds animal with fear. I feel sick.  
"No, you didn't do anything wrong. Oh my god, Isla, what are we going to do?"

"Nothing!" Isla exclaims, shooting away from me. "Nothing, okay? You cannot tell anybody! Please."

Shaking, I know that telling me was hard enough for Isla. I can't make her do anything else tonight, and so I just hold her tighter. "What do you want to do?" I ask. "Now?"

"I just wanna sleep so I can forget about this for a while," she whispers. "Okay? Can we just sleep?"

"Okay," I say, settling into her bed, her head still on my chest. "Okay."

I know, however, that neither of us get much sleep that night.

What am I going to do?


	95. Chapter 94

Chapter 94- Mika's POV

"Hey, kiddo," Percy says to me, hopping on the sofa. I nod ever so slightly to acknowledge his presence and keep watching the show that's on.

"Mike," he says after a minute, scooching closer to me, "do you know what's wrong with Isla?"

I glance at him now. Of course we all know something's been going on, it's been going on for ages, so why is he bringing it up now? I don't know what's the matter and I say so. "Do you know?" I ask.

"No. I'm worried about her, though. She seems really ... Upset. Especially lately. I thought it was getting better, but I think something happened. John says Juna has been freaking out. Does Seana know anything? She's _so close_ with Flynn," he wiggles his eyebrows, "so I thought..."

I shrug. "I don't know," I say, "I haven't asked. I'll text her, though, if you want."

Percy nods. "Sure."

 _Hey_ , I text Seana, _Have you talked to Flynn about Isla?_

Percy and I watch tv in silence until she responds.

 _Yeah, he says he's worried about her, which is weird, bc he doesn't worry about her. Idk what's wrong though._

I sigh and tell Percy, who puts his arm around me and begins to twirl some of my hair around his finger."I hope she's okay," he says, and I nod.

"Percy," I eventually continue, "do you think it's weird that we don't, like, fight? Isla and Flynn fight all the time. And they don't get along well even when they're really not fighting."

Percy smiles. "I think we're perfect and amazing and mom and dad are pretty fucking lucky."

Speaking of which, mom walks around the corner and scowls at Percy. "Language," she scolds, but she doesn't really care. Percy rolls his eyes. "Did you think I dropped the F bomb?" he jokes. "I was simply discussing how lucky you guys are when it comes to hunting ducks, aka ducking."

"Honey, I'm not an iPhone. I don't assume you meant to say ducking," says Mom.

I raise one eyebrow at Percy because he just got destroyed and he pushes my face away, forcing me to laugh. Dad walks in and puts his arms around mom as my wrestling match with Percy gets more intense and I push him off the couch. He looks up at me in mock surprise and says, "Oh. Oh, Mica. You have just lived your last moment."

Then he pulls me off the couch with him. Mom leaves to go start dinner as we try and beat each other, me flying at Percy with my fists as he tries to pin me. Finally, I end up getting up good, and he lies down in defeat. "Fine," he says, "the great Mika Benjamin has beaten me."

I smile triumphantly and stand up, but then suddenly a splash of cold water hits my back and I gasp, spinning around to see a smirking Percy holding an empty glass. "You little-," I whisper as my legs constrict and I turn into a mermaid.

Dad walks back and and smiles at me on the ground, as I brush some hair out of my face. "Well," I say pointedly, "he should be punished, right?"

Instead of doing something, dad calls mom in and she laughs. "Oh," she tells me, "your father pulled that move on me many times."

I look at him in mock-horror as mom grabs a towel and begins to dry me.

After dinner and my homework, I knock on Percy's door. "Hey," I say, walking in after he calls, "I'm bored."

"Oh, poor thing," Percy mutters, looking at his phone. "You must be dying."

I narrow my eyes in a grade-A scowl but Percy misses it. "Who are you texting?" I ask after a minute.

"Nobody," Percy responds, tossing his phone onto his pillow and turning to me. I raise my eyebrows.

"Nooobody?" I drawl, fairly certain he's texting his secret girlfriend.

Percy rolls his eyes. "Just Holden."

"Sure," I respond, smirking. "Percy, just _tell_ me who she is. I know you're dating somebody. Not only am I a genius who knows everything, it's so obvious about that you're in _love_ and you always have hickeys and stuff."

Percy huffs. "I told you it was a curling iron burn."

"Shut up," I laugh. "Seriously. I already know it's somebody, so you might as well tell me who. I don't know why you're being so secretive about this. Mom and Dad won't care if you're dating someone."

Sighing, my brother sits up. "It's just… more complicated than that."

"Why?" I ask. "Is it- no way- it's not, like Isla, right?"

"What?" Percy asks, eyebrows practically shooting up off his head. "No, no, no, no, no!"

I lift my hands in mock-surrender. "Okay, okay… is it Juna?"

"No," Percy says.

"Is it that girl Carmen? Or Megan? Or… oh, is it Flora?" I ramble, listing any girl I know Percy hangs out with, before he cuts me off.

"No, Mike," he says. "It's just… it's not a girl."

Immediately, my eyebrows draw in. Not a girl? Okay, so Percy isn't straight, but then who…

Suddenly, I bring my hands to my mouth and try to stifle a squeal. "Oh my god," I say, my eyes turning to slits as I smile. "Oh my god, oh my god, it's Holden! Oh my god, you're dating Holden!"

Percy looks down, an obvious blush spreading over his cheeks. "Would you keep it down?" he pleas, and I try to quiet as I continue freaking out.

"Oh my god, that is the cutest thing I've ever heard! Are you serious!? You guys are _perfect!_ How long has it been? Are you in love? Oh my god, ahh!"

Rolling his eyes, Percy chuckles. "It's not _cute,"_ he says. "And yes, I know we're perfect. It's been almost seven months and… I think so?"

I squeal again. "Oh my _god!"_

At this, Percy throws a pillow at me. "Shush," he says, "it's not _that_ exciting."

"Oh please," I retort. "It's _classic._ Best friends falling in love! It's perfect!"

Percy smiles. "Yeah, well, please don't tell anybody. I'm still trying to figure out how to tell mom and dad and I don't want the whole school to know before they do."

"Of course," I nod, still grinning hugely. "So," I say, "he really gets the job done…" I gesture to my brother's neck.

"That's it," he says, standing and grabbing my wrist. "Out, out. We're not having this conversation."

"Okay, lover-boy," I mutter as he pushes my towards the exit. "Tell Holden he better not turn you black and blue!"

The door shuts in my face, but I know we're smiling on either side of it.


	96. Chapter 95

Chapter 95- Seana's POV

Mika and I sit, waiting for everyone else to come. My parents and Bella and Will are sitting together on the couch out in the living room and chatting as we wait in Mika's room. Once everyone's here, we'll head out to Mako. When Isla texted us all on the group chat to say she had something she needed to tell us, we'd all immediately freaked out. Was she actually going to explain what's been wrong?

I hear someone else come in and Mika glances towards the door. Flynn and Isla walk in, him with a big, goofy grin and her pretty face tight with worry. "Hey, guys," Mika says, and they sit down around the room. Flynn sits next to me but not too close since his sister's in the room.

I study Isla carefully. She looks so terrified I start to get scared. We all know something's been going on. I've thought about a lot of possibilities- she could be anorexic or be self harming or something. Or maybe she did something bad, like heroine. I don't know.

Percy and Holden walk in next, and Percy, too, watches Isla for a few seconds before sitting. She doesn't notice, only keeps her legs tightly crossed and stares down. Eventually, however, the blonde catches my eye and gives me a cautious, pretty smile.

Finally, Juna and John arrive, and they seem annoyed with each other.

"Ready?" Mika asks, and we all nod.

After we get to Mako- me, Mika, and Isla in the moon pool and the others on the beach- we begin to talk about school and stuff like that. We're tense. It's nothing important until Percy draws attention to Isla by asking her the matter. She looks up, startled, and then stutters out that nothing is wrong. It's almost like a knee-jerk reaction. We all know we're here for her. Why doesn't she just tell us? The cave grows quiet and I notice that Juna is staring at her best friend.

"Isla," she says softly, "you tell them or I will."

Now I'm listening aptly- is whatever's been bothering Isla finally going to come out?

She looks around at all of us, her hazel eyes scared. Finally, she opens her mouth, and a small whisper comes out: "Do you remember Paul Schneider's party last year?"

I don't, not really. Probably because Mika had gotten scared that Percy and some girl would have sex at the party and she didn't want to be around him after that, so we'd stayed at her place and made chocolate cookies and watched Triple Dare, a stupid movie about girls getting into trouble. But I know what party Isla's talking about.

"Well," she continues, her face dark, "um, at that party... Caleb Culver ... Raped me."

Rape.

Just the word sets off alarms in my head. Rape is a bad, scary, far-off thing.

Flynn is red in the face, his eyebrows knit together. Mika, on the other hand, is pale and wide-eyed. John is staring at Juna, and I can read his expression- you knew? Holden is looking at his lap while Percy waits attentively for Isla to continue.

"I was drunk, and he ... He started flirting with me. I thought it was, uh, cool, I guess... He was a senior and I was only a freshman. I thought it was like ... High school. Like, it was supposed to happen this way.

"But then he brought me into a bedroom and locked the door. I thought we were just gonna make out... But then he started taking off my underwear and I told him to stop. He didn't listen and kept going until I started to cry out for help, and then he tied his shirt over my mouth. Then he, um... He did it. He went inside me. And I was trying to struggle but the more he did it the number I got until I was just laying there, and then he finished and he kissed me on the cheek and said, 'that wasn't so hard,' and he went back out to the party."

We're all staring at her by this point- Jesus fucking Christ. This isn't just sex- it's rape. Real rape.

He gagged her and held her down.

Flynn jumps up suddenly. He's shaking.

"I'll kill him," the blond boy says.

Isla shakes her head, but he keeps going, talking quicker than usual, "I'll make him pay."

"Flynn, no," Isla says quickly, standing as well. "Stop acting tough. It's okay."

Looking into her eyes, Flynn starts to pant. "He shouldn't just be able to do that," he says, his voice cracking. I watch as the tough-boy act washes away and Flynn begins to cry. "He shouldn't just be able ... Hurt you like that."

Isla touches his shoulders lightly and then slowly pulls her little brother into a hug.

Flynn keeps shaking against her, crying into her shoulder. "Why didn't you tell anyone?" He finally asks. We all wait for the answer.

Isla releases him from the hug. "Because I was afraid," she said, looking at the ground. "I was afraid that it was my fault, because I was drinking and I shouldn't have gone into a bedroom with a senior I barely knew anyway. And I was afraid that maybe I was wrong, maybe it wasn't rape. He was so casual about it, and he told me he knew what wanted. He didn't even leave the party, he just went back out and carried on. I was afraid I was just being over dramatic and he had really just assumed I was playing hard-to-get. Mostly, though, I was just afraid of it. Of what had happened. I was afraid, and I thought not talking about it might make me less afraid, might make it go away. But it didn't- not at all. It made it bigger and scarier every day, and it became harder and harder to talk about."

A few tears roll down her face. "I thought, if I could just stop wearing makeup and nice clothes and just lose weight, I wouldn't be desirable, and then I wouldn't have to worry anymore. I wouldn't be so scared. And I started spending so much time in the water because that felt safer. With the tail. And I started sleeping more and food didn't taste like anything after a while and my grades were slipping but that was okay because I just needed to go home and hide and grades didn't matter, and sometimes at night I wouldn't be able to breathe and I would just sit in bed and bite my pillow and my chest felt like it was gonna explode. It was like a tornado inside me and he put it there. And-and- I just. I can't breathe sometimes."

By now Percy has stood and walked to her and folded her into him. Juna has joined their group hug, and they're all shaking.

"Isla," he says after pulling away. "It sounds like you're having panic attacks. How long have they been going on?"

"I don't know- since it happened. But sometimes I throw up because I can't breathe so bad and it hurts," Isla stutters, her face red and sticky. Percy brushes some hair out of her face and pulls her close again.

"I'm so sorry," he whispers. I scooch closer to Mika and she takes my hand. When I glance at her, I see that's she's incredibly pale.

Isla is shaking too hard to stand. She sinks to her knees and Percy and Juna follow. "It just hurt so bad," I hear her whisper.

Flynn sits with them, as does Holden. Soon, John, Mika and I follow. We're all sitting a close huddle, Isla in the middle. She trembles and sighs, "I don't know what to do."

And then Flynn reaches out and takes her hand. Juna's already got one arm around her shoulder and Percy's supporting her head with his shoulder. I put one hand on her knee and Mike follows suit, her thumb overlapping with mine. Holden scoots closer to her and puts one hand on her shoulder, gently rubbing it. John puts his hand on her other knee. It all happened quickly, with no real indicator. We just all knew.

And then Flynn whispers.

"You're not alone."


	97. Chapter 96

**Hey guys!**

 **I know it's been ages. Life is hectic right now, I'm sorry. I just know I won't be able to keep this story up so I'm going to conclude it. Sorry if it feels rushed, I just don't want to leave you guys hanging.**

 **Thank you all so much for everything. I love every single one of you.**

 **Dusty Attic**

Chapter 96- Isla's POV

Everyone is mulling around, waiting for the assembly to start. I'm terrified.

Telling Juna had been hard. Telling Percy and the others had been harder. Telling mom and dad had been near impossible.

I still think about the way they stared at me. The way dad started to cry. I'd never seen him cry before.

But that was a long time ago. It's been almost a year since everything was settled. Since they pressed charges.

I didn't know what to do when I saw Caleb in that court. He touched me when he walked by. I excused myself, went outside and threw up. Juna had to hold me for a long time after that.

The questions started as soon as I got back to school. Everyone had heard about the case. It scared me, everyone knowing. But girls told me how strong I was. How I inspired them.

And, so, when the school told me they were hosting a consent seminar and asked if I'd like to have permission not to go, I surprised them by asking to speak.

People need to hear my story. And now they will.

The principal comes up behind me and puts one hand on my back. "Are you ready, Isla?"

I turn to him and nod. Walk to the podium. I'm shaking.

"People ask me questions," I say into the microphone. The students quiet. "A lot of questions. Like how I could've thought being raped was my fault. And I say 'I don't know,' because it's hard and scary to talk about. But I do know. I know."

Everyone stares at me. I shouldn't have started so bold. I should've eased them into it, I should've-

I catch Percy's eye. He nods at me.

"There are parts of the rape that were my fault," I continue. My words are weak with fear. "I should not have been drinking and I should not have gone into that bedroom with a boy whom I hardly knew. But that wasn't why I blamed myself."

I take a deep breath and look at Juna. She gives me a smile.

"I blamed myself because I am a girl.

"I blamed myself because, as a girl, I should have known that letting Caleb touch my waist and kiss my neck was the equivalent to giving him an all-access pass to my body. I should have known that my words hardly matter- that saying things like 'stop,' and 'get off of me,' were unclear, maybe even suggestive. I should have known that, by wearing an outfit that showed my upper thigh and the skin on my breasts, I was making it clear that I wanted to have sex. Because that's what my body, my words, and my actions amount up to, right? A sex machine. One wrong move and I am open for business.

"I blamed myself because I shouldn't have been such a whore. I should have covered up, stayed in the corner, maybe even stayed at home. As a girl, I should've known that there is nothing in between a chaste angel and the sluts we hear whispered about in the hall. I should have known that my body is not my body, but a device for providing pleasure. I should have known, right?

"But letting him touch my waist was not permission for him to touch my vagina. Telling him to stop removing my clothes was not a unclear. Wearing an outfit that I felt confident in was not an invitation to have sex with me. Because I _am_ a girl. A human being. A mind. I am smart. And pretty. I am worthy of love, and care, which is something that everybody's first sexual experience should be based off of. I have the right to give and take away my consent, and that is not a joke, or some 'bitch' playing hard-to-get.

"When I was in that dark room with Caleb and he was thrusting his penis inside of me so hard and so fast that my lower body went numb, I felt scared. When he pushed his fingers, which were cold from the bottle of beer he had been holding and greasy from pumping his car full of gas on the way to the party, into my vagina, I felt guilty. When his hands, which were course from the winter cold, groped my breasts, I felt helpless. And when he leaned down by my ear and whispered, 'That wasn't so bad, now was it?' I felt worthless, stupid, and ashamed.

"But I am not guilty. I am worthless or stupid. And I should not have to feel afraid, helpless, or ashamed. _He_ raped _me_. I am not to blame, it was not my fault. Caleb Culver raped me. I am a victim, but I will not let that take my voice. And so if any of you have been wondering why I thought it was my fault, there you have it. I thought it was my fault because I am a girl and I should have known better.

"But it is not my fault that Caleb Culver pinned me to a bed, tied my mouth shut, and raped me.

"It is not my fault at all."

Everyone continues to stare. I shut my eyes. "I don't know how to talk about this without that feeling of fear coming over me all over again," I admit, "but if anyone out there has experienced this and can't find their voice, I need them to hear mine, because maybe, one day, we can speak together."

The speech was too short. Too real. Everyone is going to make fun of me or-or-

The auditorium is getting louder. People are clapping. I can't breathe until I open my eyes and see everyone staring at me with admiration. And then I can breathe. For the first time in a long time.

Cleo's POV

I'm sobbing into Lewis's shoulder. "She's so brave," I whisper. Lewis says nothing. I feel him, crying, too.

Beside us, Rikki and Zane, Bella and Will and Emma and Byron are also sitting. They're all clapping. The assembly starts to die down, everyone making their way to their parents to head home. I see Isla coming and open my arms to her. She's not crying, but she's white as a sheet.

"Oh, my sweet girl," I say, pulling her into me. Percy and Holden walk up holding hands. Bella smoothes back her son's hair.

"Hi, Mama," Isla breathes.

I press a kiss to her forehead. "I'm so proud of you," I breathe. Lewis wraps his arms around us.

"Our baby," he says softly. And the three of us stand together. Me, Lewis and our baby.


End file.
